[Rhodes22-list] self righting factors

[Mary Lou Troy]

Hi richard,
The definition of self righting that I have seen most often says that 
if a boat rolls completely, it will right itself again. My guess is 
that a properly sealed up R22 would self right if it was in deep 
enough water so that the mast would not catch on the bottom (more than 30 ft.)

The right (or wrong) combination of wind and waves will capsize any 
boat. In the capsize I mentioned (I really have to find time to dig 
out that account) I remember Paul described strong winds pushing a 
wall of water from the stern quarter (they had no time to react) and 
the combined wind and waves were what capsized his boat. If I 
remember correctly, reports from the area had winds in excess of 90 
mph. In Joe's case, the companionway hatch blew out and the interior 
may well have filled with water when wind laid the boat on her side. 
A turtled Rhodes 22 may stay turtled due to the mast sticking in the 
mud in the shallow areas many of us sail in but won't sink due to the 
flotation. It has been hypothesized that a turtled R22 might stay 
turtled due to the weight of water in the IMF mast but I don't recall 
any actual accounts of that happening.

I think under most severe conditions, a R22 will behave as you 
describe. In hurricane force winds or a tornado, that may not be the case.

Best,
Mary Lou
R22 Fretless
Rock Hall, MD


At 12:35 PM 8/23/2012, you wrote:
>What's going on? I thought my Rhodes 22 was self righting. Self 
>righting means that in even the strongest wind it will blow over 90 
>degrees but not roll. It's supposed to stay at 90 degrees until the 
>wind lets up and then right itself. A couple of weeks ago I was 
>caught in a front moving in and it blew about 35 knots. I let all 
>sail free and with that I was heeling at about 45 degrees. It didn't 
>go down all the way and as soon as I got the sail in, no problem. It 
>seems that when the flare of the hull digs in the boat stiffens up. 
>What happens to make it roll? The only thing I can think of  is if 
>the vessel is held by the wind with the mast in the water so that 
>water can somehow enter the cabin then it loses its stability and 
>has only the flotation to keep it from sinking and this would allow 
>it to turn turtle. I know some catamarans use a flotation device at 
>the top of the mast to stop the mast going to the bottom but the 
>weight in the keel is supposed to do that in a self r!
>  ighting vessel, unless the interior fills with water. Am I right on this?
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org 
>[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of 
>rhodes22-list-request at rhodes22.org
>Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2012 12:01 PM
>To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
>Subject: Rhodes22-list Digest, Vol 2960, Issue 1
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Message: 1
>Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2012 09:02:43 -0700 (PDT)
>From: Joe Camp <jjcampjr at yahoo.com>
>Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Advise me
>To: The Rhodes 22 Email List <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>Message-ID:
>         <1345651363.78003.YahooMailNeo at web130202.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
>Mary Lou:
>
>? ? ?I think you really have the solution here in considering the 
>flared hull as a potential (or the most likely)
>reason for these roll-overs... or mine, anyway.
>
>? ? ?I have noted how tender the boat is when motoring with the 
>tiller locked. ?The boat cannot maintain a straight course if I am 
>moving about the cabin. ?Of course, I am 230 pounds, and that's more 
>ballast to adjust the course, but I have learned to steer the boat 
>by changing my position (even slightly) in the cockpit. ?My good 
>sailing friend has a McGregor 25 and he has more "wetted surface" 
>?(to borrow a term from Stan). ?He can lock his tiller and wander 
>fore and aft and beam to beam yet still maintain his basic course. 
>He is more stable and takes more wind to heel the boat. ?Our keel 
>weights are about the same. ?In the event that flipped my boat, his 
>moored just a hundred feet away, didn't have a cushion out of place. 
>True, this could be due in part to the nature of the weather event 
>itself, but still telling as to the side to side stability issue. 
>?BNy the way, the integrity of my mast has been compromised by being 
>buried in the bottom
>  mud. Looks like a new mast is in the picture. ?Ah well, you've got 
> to have stories to call yourself a sailor. ?Aye, mates??
>
>
>? ??
>Joe Camp
>s/v John Dawson
>Bohemia River, MD
>
>
>
>
> >________________________________
> > From: Mary Lou Troy <mtroy at atlanticbb.net>
> >To: The Rhodes 22 Email List <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> >Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2012 8:50 PM
> >Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Advise me
> >
> >I think any small relatively unballasted boat would be more at risk
> >on a mooring. Our boats also have a fair amount of windage with the
> >IMF and the flared hull. In a strong wind the poptops are probably
> >also a liability unless well secured. I've never felt unsafe at
> >anchor and we've been anchored in some pretty high winds but they
> >were of short duration and our anchorages are typically more
> >protected than most mooring fields.
> >
> >Somewhere I saw it noted that with the warming climate, the world is
> >a windier place. That certainly seems true here on the Chesapeake
> >(though not today).
> >
> >Mary Lou
> >1991 R22 Fretless
> >Rock Hall, MD
> >
> >
> >At 06:13 PM 8/21/2012, you wrote:
> >>Lack of a deep heavy keel is definitely a contributing factor.
> >>
> >>Stephen
> >>
> >>Sent from my iPhone
> >>
> >>On Aug 21, 2012, at 5:04 PM, Joe Camp <jjcampjr at yahoo.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> > "Luck of the draw."? Yeah, odd that so many R-22s flipp like
> >> this.? It must be the global warming... er ah, "climate change"
> >> R-22 effect.? Was this in Al Gore's movie?
> >> >
> >> > Joe
> >> >