[Rhodes22-list] getting started/ thanks to all

[Geankoplis]

Roy,
   It was around 1980 and the boat was barrowed by one of the brothers of
the kids who taught me to sail in Italy.  The boat capsized when a tornado
came through the "pot" on Poplar Island, a sort of lagoon surrounded by
small sand islands. The boat went over when hit and was "pole vaulted"
upside down forcing the mast into the yogurt like mud of the pot.  
The kids swam out and over to another boat, spent the night in the cockpit
then swam to Jefferson Island (owned by the Smithsonian) where the used a
radio to call me.  I went out on an Oyster work boat.   We dove into the
water full of sea nettles and using a couple of needle nosed pliers we undid
all the clevis pins.  We were able to reach them without diving.  The bolt
on the tabernacle had a wing nut but it was still difficult wiggling the
bolt out.  This did take some diving but I was pretty good at it.  Probably
took 10 dives to free it.  Once it was free I pushed on the boat at the
flair and it rolled back up right like an old walrus.  Lots of jelly fish
and fondue hanging from the cabin roof.  Grabbed a couple of 5 gallon
buckets and after a short but intense bailing session empted the boat and we
then pulled the mast out of the water and mud with the help of the waterman.
As it turned out one stay and chain plate had pulled out, another was
broken.  The mast was bent but this probably happened when the Coast Guard
showed up and tried to right it thinking it was a power boat. We towed the
boat back to Tilgman Island and left it there and transported the motor back
home and to a mechanic.  The next weekend we went back with repaired motor,
hosed the boat down and motored back to the pot and anchored on the buoy I
had placed at the capsize site.  We then dove and by feel recovered
everything except the lazzerett cover.  The poptop was on the bottom along
with the anchor and other stuff.  The outside cushions were on the shore and
in the trees.  I did have to rebuild a lot of the interior but the boat
served me well for another 25 years.  By coincidence, when I advertised the
boat for sail in 1996, as soon as the ad appeared in the Washington post a
guy called and wanted the boat.  He said he knew all about the Rhodes and
knew it was built like a tank.  "How do you know so much about the strength
of the Rhodes" I asked.  Oh, I saw one get hit by a tornado and it was
inverted on its mast and it wasn't damaged.  I even saved the two kids and
let them sleep on my boat till they swam away."  He bought it that
afternoon.
Chris G
 

-----Original Message-----
From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of R Orkin
Sent: Sunday, December 16, 2007 10:26 AM
To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] getting started/ thanks to all


Not that I ever intend to turtle the boat :-), but how did you manage to
release the stays and bolt which I assume were under water, Did you release
all the standing rigging including forestay ? Did you cut everything or
actually release the turnbuckles etc. Sounds like quite a story


Tom Hogarty wrote:
> 
> Thanks for the helpful reply.  I was not concerned about the stability of
> the Rhodes, or the claim to not capsize, but was confused about something
> I had read regarding the difficulty righting.  The shallow water and mud
> explains it all.
> Tom
> 
> 
> Geankoplis wrote:
>> 
>> Dear Tom,
>> 	   I think I am the only person in the last 30 years that managed to
>> capsize a Rhodes, and that took a tornado.  I can say if the mast is 10
>> feet
>> in the mud of the pot on Poplar Island it won't right itself, but as soon
>> as
>> I released the stays and bolt on the tabernacle the boat popped upright
>> after a slight hesitation. I've sailed them for the last 30 years and the
>> Rhodes is the best boat you can find for its length.  My advice is let
>> Stan
>> handle everything, a referb is a custom boat designed for you, lucky dog.
>> 
>> Chris G
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
>> [mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of R Orkin
>> Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2007 3:22 PM
>> To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
>> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] getting started
>> 
>> 
>> Welcome,
>>     I am across the bay from you on Tilghman Island and would be happy to
>> help . There a number of Rhodes on the bay.. I have a 2000 referb and
>> frankly I don't know if it has the diamond keel or not.
>> I suspect it does.. I would doubt that the keel style has all that much
>> effect on sailability but I would leave that answer to others.. A new
>> boat
>> might entail a longer wait ..
>>            I don't know quite what you mean by self righting.. If the
>> boat
>> is heeled over hard, the hull drag will slow you enough to keep from
>> capsizing in any situation I have seen.. I have had it hard on the rail
>> lots
>> of times.It is fun but not really where you want to be if trimmed right
>> for
>> speed.
>> That being said, a microburst did capsize a Rhodes several years ago here
>> near Knapps Narrows. The mast I believe was impaled in the mud and
>> prevented
>> it from geting righted.. I don't know what would happen if it were deep
>> enough to do a full turtle.. It has lots of flotation. Stan would have to
>> tell you how a fully water loaded Rhodes will float but I think it would
>> sink only as far as the gunwales. I do not know of a safer boat in its
>> size
>> range..If sudden storms are your concern.. reef 95% of your sails for
>> stability and /or head into the wind using the motor or anchor. The upper
>> and middle Bay are so narrow, you are not far from some shelter most of
>> the
>> time. Lower bay can be a good bit worse though there are some pretty
>> rough
>> conditions on occasion in upper and middle.. Talk to as many experienced
>> sailors as you can find.. 
>> They will be happy to share their experiences and horror stories with
>> you..:-) How they reacted to problems is always a lesson in what to do or
>> not to do.
>>                                 Rory
>> 
>> 
>> Tom Hogarty wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hello, I'm new to sailing, just leased a slip on the Chesapeake, Holiday
>>> Hill Marina, Mayo, Maryland, and have decided to get a Rhodes.  Stan
>>> just
>>> received our deposit, and we have not yet decided which boat to
>>> purchase. 
>>> Does anyone on this list have one for sale?  Does anyone have enough
>>> experience with the new diamond keel to say it justify the cost of a new

>>> boat?  Does anything remotely related to a boat have to be justified?
>>> I understand that these are hard to capsize and have positive flotation,
>>> are they self righting as well?
>>> 
>>> Many thanks,
>>> Tom Hogarty
>>> 
>> 
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>> 
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>> __________________________________________________
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>> 
> 
> 

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