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West Wight Potter Mailing List maintainer
dfarrell@ridgecrest.ca.us
List hosted by www.tscnet.com
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Hey, you guys are on one of my favorite subjects.
I have never heard of a good solid full keel cruising boat staying turtle
due to sails. Most of these boats are so well ballasted that it carries
away the rig before the boat will stay turtle.
Isabelle Autissier's boat capsized due to a "fluke wave" causing the
autopilot to malfunction.
Isabelle Autissier scuttled her boat to prevent it from being a hazard to
navigation. Giovanni Soldini rescued her because of the remote area and
sailed into "massive seas" for 24 hours to find her and then resume the
race with Isabelle on board. Giovanni's boat has a "swinging keel" that
would allow him to right it if he should capsize. These boats are just
giant ballasted dinghies.
There are many good strong boats under 30 foot in lenghth that have sailed
the worlds oceans. Smaller boats can fair better in bad weather than larger
vessels, due to being able to ride over the waves rather that through them.
Small boats can be stronger than large boats as well. The trouble with
boats sea keeping abilities has come with the "go fast" state of mind. Most
designers consider righting from a 90 degree knock-down in "normal
conditions" to be "self righting". Many variables go into a boats ability
to recover from a roll over. Ballast, freeboard, deck/cabin crown, beam,
and rig all enter into the formula. There are self-righting sharpies like
the Norfolk Island boats that have very shallow draft and high sides like a
P-19. I can go on and on about this, but what I want to convey is that well
though out small boats can be very good sea boats. I would not take a
"stock" Potter or any other "stock" boat off shore, but with modification,
it can be done.
If I ever get a P-19 I think a fixed steel shoal keel would be best for me.
No trunk and the weight is always were you want it. I plan to add water
ballast, floatation, better hatches, sealable centerboard trunk, lockable
center board, and smaller foot well in the cockpit with a bigger drain to
make my P-15 more sea worthy.
Brent Wilson
P-15#657
Lockridge, IA
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