Good example and precisely why locker "locks" are a good idea. The setup up I have are lines attached to the underside of the locker hatch and they run to jam cleats inside the cabin just at the companion way entrance. While out sailing I keep these in the locked and "jammed" position to prevent them from opening in the sudden event of a knock down. The added benefit with this method is that you don't need additional locks and latches on the exterior in the cockpit which look messy and can scratch your legs pretty bad. Additionally I always sail with - at minimum - the bottom hatch board installed in the companion way and increase them to incrementally to number three depending on wind and wave strength.
Ashley M15 # 478 ----- Original Message ---- From: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Sent: Monday, April 30, 2007 6:49:41 AM Subject: M_Boats: Just how Stable?? All, I was out sailing this past weekend and the wind was a bit gusty and being unpredictable. I was sailing in the Baltimore Harbor and the wind shifts a lot due to the buildings crowding the waters edge. I was on a port tack when a gust of wind hit the boat and healed us over. I was having problems releasing the main sheet. Every time I pulled up on the jam cleat, the cleat adjustment angle would move up one notch. The harder I pulled up, the higher the angle moved. The boat was healed over so much that the starboard gun wale was 6 inches under water and the cockpit was filling up. By the time we were able to release the main sheet we had 6+ inches of water in the cockpit. I was certain we were going swimming. With the exception of our shoes getting wet, everything else stayed dry. I can not believe how stable and well balanced this boat is. I'm not sure at what angle we were sailing (nearly tipping over), but it is far greater then what I am comfortable with, and still the boat remained upright. When we got back to the dock and began stowing our gear, I found the starboard locker full of water. In the end I'm glad this happened on the starboard side, since the port locker was cut out by a previous owner. Which means the bilge would have been full. In the end, it's best to know the limits of the boat. Now I have a better idea of just how far I can heal over before I go swimming. Fairwinds, Skip M-15 #201 '82 Wild Guppy ________________________________________________________________________ AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at AOL.com. _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
