[Rhodes22-list] R22 capsize in Force 10

[Mary Lou Troy]

So I just read the Small Craft Advisor article (Issue #121, p20) article 
and I'm rather annoyed. I'll need to read the article again when I have 
more time but here is a quick and somewhat careful synopsis.

The author writes about sailing his Sailmaster 22 (good boat, Sparkman & 
Stephens design) and getting caught in the same storm that capsized the 
R22. In many ways, it's a good article about what he did in the face of 
the storm and what he should have done better. He gets onto shaky ground 
when he starts talking about why the R22 capsized (he doesn't seem to 
have direct knowledge in spite of talking to the skipper of the R22 and 
is just speculating on how the design may have contributed to the 
capsize) and why his boat didn't. He makes at least one error and a 
couple errors of omission in talking about the design of the R22.

Early on in the article the author quotes me from my chapter in "Sailing 
Small" quoting GB's website about the R22 being "uncapsizeable under 
sail." It's irrelevant as the R22 was motoring at the time as was the 
Sailmaster. Both evidently saw the storm while near the mouth of their 
home creek and both elected to make a run for the dock or at least 
sheltered water. The R22 was capsized. dismasted and "the salvage crew 
couldn't refloat the boat, so a crane was used to lift it onto a small 
barge." The Rhodes evidently had extensive damage to the bow and was 
uninsured.

I'm planning on writing a letter to SCA correcting a couple of 
statements by the author and adding some thoughts of my own having had 
the R22 out in a significant squall as described in Sailing Small. If 
any Long Island Rhodies know more about the incident, I'd love to hear it.

Mary Lou
ex-R22
now Rosborough RF-246
Rock Hall, MD

.


On 12/20/2019 11:33 AM, Cary Tolbert wrote:
> This popped up on my phone. The Rhodes 22 is in good company.
> Donna Lang on her second solo circumnavigation trip in her Southern Cross
> 28 , 1982 vintage,
> got caught in 50 mph winds and was knocked down and dis-masted. This is a
> Blue Water boat
> with a Dis./Bal. of 40%. It can happen to anyone. You can't mess with
> mother nature; well you can but your playing against the house.
>
> Cary
> Whisper '86
> Radford,VA
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Thu, Dec 19, 2019 at 1:58 PM Rick Lange <sloopblueheron at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Was the boat sailing or laying to?
>>
>> Rick Lange
>>
>> On Thu, Dec 19, 2019, 12:07 PM stan <stan at generalboats.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Force 10.  That is 55 mph, and up, winds with giant waves.  I guess we
>>> will have to lower any claims to 50 mph winds.
>>>
>>> I have spent most off my sailing days on the Great South Bay.  It is so
>>> shallow it is impossible to lose anything. And although on the ocean
>>> side of Long Island, there never was anything close to a force 10 storm
>>> in my day.  Global warming?
>>>
>>> We did list once in the middle of the night when low tide had the family
>>> sleeping stacked up on top of each other.
>>>
>>>
>>> On 12/19/19 8:49 AM, Chris Geankoplis wrote:
>>>> details?
>>>>
>>>> On Tue, Dec 17, 2019 at 12:53 PM gramille <gramille at tds.net> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Did any of you read the article in the latest issue of Small Craft
>>> Advisor
>>>>> about the loss of a R22 in Long Islands Great South Bay? Sobering
>>> reading!
>>>>> Have a Happy New Year full of safe sailing adventures.
>>>>>    Graham in snowy Vermont
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Sent from: http://rhodes-22.1065344.n5.nabble.com/
>>>>>
>>>