4 ms·

Entirely speculation here, but this is why I don't like lifting keel sailboats. I'm guessing that it was raised while at anchor which made it less stable.

brk 2y ago
They were in 160' of water, not sure draft would have been a concern.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- _whiteCaps_ 2y ago
  Right, but I don't think they were anchored at that depth. It's possible they were in shallower waters but ended up out there because of the storm.
  - nexus6 2y ago
    No, statements made set it was anchored far out.
_huayra_ 2y ago
The only real sailworthiness advantage I know if is that if you're sailing with conditions big enough to make you surf (and downwind, i.e. not some weird situation where the wind and the waves are not coming from the same direction), being able to lift the keel helps avoid getting sideways and broaching from the wave trying to pick the boat "up and over the keel" in a sense. Granted, I've only personally verified this with many dinghies I've raced, but on a larger boat the dynamics might not be the same (I still don't have "big boat" money yet lol!).
deltarholamda 2y ago
I'd be more likely to blame the sailplan of the yacht. 56m is a big boat, and the mast was something like 75m, and it was cutter rigged. That's a lot of mast, and you just know the jib and staysail were roller-furled, which means a lot of windage and quite a lot of it up high. Not necessarily a problem, but bad weather has to be handled particularly carefully. The lifting keel was definitely there so he could get his look-at-me boat closer into harbors.
- NBJack 2y ago
  This was apparently a waterspout / tornado; seems like a challenge for any small watercraft. I can only imagine how the wind would have knocked it around.
  - Kon-Peki 2y ago
    Sure, a waterspout is a challenge. But an entirely survivable challenge. It will lay the boat on its side. The keel, lifted or not, should be providing enough righting moment to bring the boat back upright in a matter of seconds. Unless… Unless the keel breaks off, then you’re done for. But the divers said it was still attached, and no mention of any damage to it. Armchair QB, but I’d say this indicates that the keel never came out of the water - it was not tipped over far enough for that to happen. To me, this had to be open hatches and/or broken windows letting in massive amounts of water quickly, with the potential complication of a huge amount of furniture not secured and permanently altering the balance once it tipped (speculation!). The mast breaking off could also alter balance enough to cause problems. I’ve been on a sailboat that got put on its side by big wind. It’s terribly frightening, and then a few seconds later you’re right side up again. It is really, really hard to sink a sailing boat if the hull is intact!
    - strix_varius 2y ago
      I've also been on a sailboat put on its side during a terrible storm (a Tartan 42). I was on watch and tethered to the rail. For a moment, everything was at what felt like 90 degrees - but probably less in reality -and I was suspended in the air. One of the scariest moments of my life. Despite "knowing" how keels work, I was sure we were going over, and surprised when the boat righted itself.
    - nexus6 2y ago
      His wife mentioned windows breaking. A comment above has her statements. The mast was the tallest aluminium mast on a yacht, it snapped and fell down which upset the balance of the yacht.

brk 2y ago

They were in 160' of water, not sure draft would have been a concern.

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
_whiteCaps_ 2y ago
Right, but I don't think they were anchored at that depth. It's possible they were in shallower waters but ended up out there because of the storm.
- nexus6 2y ago
  No, statements made set it was anchored far out.

_huayra_ 2y ago

The only real sailworthiness advantage I know if is that if you're sailing with conditions big enough to make you surf (and downwind, i.e. not some weird situation where the wind and the waves are not coming from the same direction), being able to lift the keel helps avoid getting sideways and broaching from the wave trying to pick the boat "up and over the keel" in a sense. Granted, I've only personally verified this with many dinghies I've raced, but on a larger boat the dynamics might not be the same (I still don't have "big boat" money yet lol!).

deltarholamda 2y ago

I'd be more likely to blame the sailplan of the yacht. 56m is a big boat, and the mast was something like 75m, and it was cutter rigged. That's a lot of mast, and you just know the jib and staysail were roller-furled, which means a lot of windage and quite a lot of it up high. Not necessarily a problem, but bad weather has to be handled particularly carefully. The lifting keel was definitely there so he could get his look-at-me boat closer into harbors.

NBJack 2y ago
This was apparently a waterspout / tornado; seems like a challenge for any small watercraft. I can only imagine how the wind would have knocked it around.
- Kon-Peki 2y ago
  Sure, a waterspout is a challenge. But an entirely survivable challenge. It will lay the boat on its side. The keel, lifted or not, should be providing enough righting moment to bring the boat back upright in a matter of seconds. Unless… Unless the keel breaks off, then you’re done for. But the divers said it was still attached, and no mention of any damage to it. Armchair QB, but I’d say this indicates that the keel never came out of the water - it was not tipped over far enough for that to happen. To me, this had to be open hatches and/or broken windows letting in massive amounts of water quickly, with the potential complication of a huge amount of furniture not secured and permanently altering the balance once it tipped (speculation!). The mast breaking off could also alter balance enough to cause problems. I’ve been on a sailboat that got put on its side by big wind. It’s terribly frightening, and then a few seconds later you’re right side up again. It is really, really hard to sink a sailing boat if the hull is intact!
  - strix_varius 2y ago
    I've also been on a sailboat put on its side during a terrible storm (a Tartan 42). I was on watch and tethered to the rail. For a moment, everything was at what felt like 90 degrees - but probably less in reality -and I was suspended in the air. One of the scariest moments of my life. Despite "knowing" how keels work, I was sure we were going over, and surprised when the boat righted itself.
  - nexus6 2y ago
    His wife mentioned windows breaking. A comment above has her statements. The mast was the tallest aluminium mast on a yacht, it snapped and fell down which upset the balance of the yacht.