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The keel's purpose is to balance the boat so it remains upright. A sailboat without a keel can be capsized incredibly easily.
by LgWoodenBadger 2y ago
The keel's purpose is to balance the boat so it remains upright. A sailboat without a keel can be capsized incredibly easily.
- karaterobot 2y agoI think I phrased my comment poorly, causing confusion. I meant that putting down the retractable keel is something you'd want to do in a storm.
- jabl 2y agoPresumably the thinking was that with all the sails down, there was no need to have the keel lowered. Which it probably wasn't, until the boat suddenly gets hit hard by an unexpected gust from the side and the windage of the rig is sufficient to capsize it.
- laichzeit0 2y agoWhat would the advantage to not have it lowered be? Like you're sitting there, sails down, anchored. Why would you go "Nope, better if keel isn't lowered"?
- krisoft 2y ago> Why would you go "Nope, better if keel isn't lowered"? We don't know yet. The rumour is that the mechanism of the extendable keel was prone to banging in the lowered state. You don't want to be disturbing the sleep of the guests paying you fortunes. That plus the also rumoured fact that the operating manual only required it to be lowered when sailing could explain why the crew did not opt to lower it at anchor. All of the above is based on internet whispers. The investigation report hopefully will answer this question with authority.
- AdamN 2y agoApparently the retractable keel was noisy (creaking sounds?) so was left up at night.
- argiopetech 2y agoIn this case, though, the boat was designed to run in many conditions (e.g., under engine, at anchor, etc.) with the keel retracted. The keel was only intended for use under sail.