Forums > Sailing General

40ft Cat Capsized off Sydney

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Created by Sydney88 > 9 months ago, 21 Sep 2019
Sydney88
NSW, 108 posts
21 Sep 2019 9:33PM
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twitter.com/9NewsSyd/status/1175332260528082945

Interesting another large cat capsize luckily all 6 rescued.

MorningBird
NSW, 2662 posts
21 Sep 2019 10:25PM
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That is a big boat. It will be good to know what happened.
Maybe cars aren't that good offshore!

lydia
1796 posts
21 Sep 2019 8:29PM
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I just emailed Pil then, so will find out the story

shaggybaxter
QLD, 2539 posts
22 Sep 2019 7:36AM
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Oh no, that's not XL2 is it?
That's a very experienced and well campaigned boat with a ton of sea miles, I'd bet my mother on this wasn't a rookie crew error.
What was the weather like off Sydney that day? It must of been pretty special to put that boat on her roof.
I hope everyone is OK, and a silent nod of thanks to the SAR teams once again.
No word yet Lydia?

Ringle
NSW, 190 posts
22 Sep 2019 8:28AM
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shaggybaxter
QLD, 2539 posts
22 Sep 2019 8:41AM
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That really sucks, they're the last guys I would think this would happen to.
Hopefully they can recover her in one piece, it looks like the rig is still in the boat at least.

Stockie
NSW, 343 posts
22 Sep 2019 9:43AM
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Ouch, that's in my Home ground, hope everyone include the yacht recovers!

MorningBird
NSW, 2662 posts
22 Sep 2019 5:35PM
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Having almost no experience on a cat I am at a loss as to how this could have happened.

The winds weren't that strong, at least not where I am in the inner west. The best I can find online was this "Winds north to northeasterly 15 to 25 km/h, increasing to 25 to 35 km/h in the afternoon."

Swell doesn't appear to have been too big.

Mechanical failure?

Chris 249
NSW, 3350 posts
22 Sep 2019 6:38PM
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She's a pretty stable boat by modern racing cat standards, I think, and her owner was, I think, moving from a more high powered boat. He's pretty experienced. I only sailed her once, inshore, and sailed her sister a bit. Like MB, I'm baffled.

There is arguably a simple issue with offshore racing cats in that monos lose control but recover whereas cat can stay in control until they flip. They arguably need rescuing a LOT more but may kill fewer sailors once you allow for their far smaller numbers compared to monos.

SandS
VIC, 5904 posts
22 Sep 2019 7:17PM
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Question ........... In a large cat . If broad reaching in 20 knt breeze fully powered up , on auto pilot , no one one the main sheet , skipper goes below to have crap , heavy sustained gust of 30 knts . what would happen , would she flip or round up ?

Scrubby
QLD, 20 posts
22 Sep 2019 7:53PM
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Won't round up. I understand cats pitch pole over rather than tip sideways.

saltiest1
NSW, 2496 posts
22 Sep 2019 7:55PM
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Super fast boat and very light too. I found it tricky to sail being so light. Was asked to crew on her that morning but was too tired and had other commitments.
But the skipper is a very experienced and knowledgeable and someone that'd be first in line to help out anyone. Top bloke.
I'll leave it to Lydia to fill in the gaps but no one was more surprised than me to hear what went down.
Maybe I cleaned the hull too much and it went too quick

Kankama
NSW, 683 posts
22 Sep 2019 10:25PM
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Saw some pics of XL2 and a sistership - Wahoo.

XL2 has had some serious work done on her and the rig has had some work - maybe taller mast or bigger sails. I remember her hull getting light in about 15-18 knots upwind so she has a pretty high power to weight ratio. You can see her windward hull getting light in what looks like a nice, but not terribly breezy day.

Compare her with the initial rig that the designer Lock Crowther, put on his sistership - Wahoo - to comply with the pretty rigorous IOMR rules in the 80s. A much smaller rig, safer but slower.



It's not multihull rocket science. If you put bigger rigs on boats, you have to be more careful. Cruisers have more weight and less rig, and sail slower.

lydia
1796 posts
23 Sep 2019 4:25AM
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Pil is all good
looking to recover boat today
will get full story as it comes out
pil is a pretty competitive guy but he has used you a few lives with this yachting caper

Cav30
NSW, 121 posts
23 Sep 2019 9:36AM
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We were out there and heard the emergency call come through. It was hitting 30kts and the swell 2 to 3 meters. Im pretty sure we saw the cat as we headed down south. It was one of the boats in our race that made the emergency call. Its quite a shock when you hear something like that happening.

Little unnerving as the cat was left upside down overnight in the water. Not sure if they attached any lights or marker buoys to improve visibility.

So glad all ok.

shaggybaxter
QLD, 2539 posts
23 Sep 2019 11:08AM
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Cav, were you guys doing the Flinders race?

Cav30
NSW, 121 posts
23 Sep 2019 12:21PM
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Yes sir, not on the Cav 30 though! A bene 40.7

Took us something like 5 hours to get there and 17 to get back :-(

You?

shaggybaxter
QLD, 2539 posts
23 Sep 2019 12:36PM
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Select to expand quote
Cav30 said..
Yes sir, not on the Cav 30 though! A bene 40.7

Took us something like 5 hours to get there and 17 to get back :-(

You?



A First sounds like a nice choice for that race, flat deck racers might be fast but they are not comfortable after10-12 hours
The 5 hours getting there sounds like fun!
No, I'd like to take Fusion down for this one if I keep her, it looks like a great race.
How did you go?

Cav30
NSW, 121 posts
23 Sep 2019 2:54PM
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Ill PM you.
Ed

Sydney88
NSW, 108 posts
26 Sep 2019 1:41PM
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Select to expand quote
Cav30 said..
Little unnerving as the cat was left upside down overnight in the water. Not sure if they attached any lights or marker buoys to improve visibility.




It would appear they can't find it now. This is judging by post on NSW police and Marine rescue Facebook page to keep an eye out for it and send them location if found.



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"40ft Cat Capsized off Sydney" started by Sydney88