2 ms·

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, a

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.

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.