West Wight Potter Owner's Home Port Capsizing a Potter 15 by Curtis Fitzgerald Owner of P-15 #2809 |
On Friday, September 2, 2011 my 8-year-old son Antonio and I took our P-15 to Oceanside, CA
for a sail. We could see waves breaking over the entrance to the harbor. A sign at the ramp
warned that the entrance to the harbor was closed by order of the harbor police and “Don’t
even think about trying it”!
I decided to go to Mission Bay and launch from the South Shores launch ramp near Sea World. I
don’t like this ramp because there is a bridge between the ramp and the dock so someone has
to ride the boat to and from the trailer. The wind was coming out of the West, cutting across the
launch area. Just outside the boat launch ramp and dock is a shoreline lined with rock and then
a beach.
This was our 3rd time using the boat and I had limited sailing experience. My wife and I took
some lessons several years ago. My son is 8 years old and is even more of a novice than I.
There was a brisk wind; the weather forecast that day was predicting near coastal winds of 10-
15 knots. I didn’t think much about the wind, as I was eager to launch and start sailing. I
neglected to close the open portholes (installed on my 2011 P-15) and install the hatch. I also
put the motor in the cabin because I didn’t see a need for it on the bay, but was concerned
someone might steal it if I left it locked on the trailer. I figured the extra weight in the cabin
would help the boat sail better.
It was a struggle to get the main sail up because we couldn’t position the boat facing the wind.
So I moved it to the end of the dock so it would face the wind, but then the wind shifted slightly.
This should have been my first clue that we needed to reef the main sail and leave the jib down
since we didn’t have a storm jib.
We set off from the dock and were moving really well! The boat heeled over considerably so I
turned into the wind to lose some power. I had tied off the boom end sheeting while we were
rigging the main sail and neglected to release it once we set off. The wind once again shifted
slightly and we heeled over hard so I turned into the wind.
Perhaps I turned the wrong way or the wind shifted. I never knew we were going over until I
found myself rising to the surface. Both of us were wearing type III life preservers and the water
was fairly calm so there was no danger, but my son was pretty upset at first and kept swimming
away from the boat.
I alternated between telling my son to stay with the boat and trying to retrieve items that were
floating away while thinking about how to right the boat. The centerboard was not tied down
because I was planning on tacking back and forth the channel to work my way West and I
figured it would be better to have it free if we ran aground. Fortunately it didn’t fall into the
cabin and was sticking partially out of the boat. I pulled it out, stood on it, and tried to right the
boat but it wouldn’t budge.
I had my son hold onto the centerboard while I untied the outhaul, tied a dock line to the
cockpit railing that was under water, and threw it over the hull to Antonio. Both of us stood on
the centerboard while I pulled on the line and the boat righted itself. It was completely
swamped and the stern barely floated above the water.
An inflatable raft with a 9.8 hp engine arrived and a nice couple in the raft helped us get the
boat to the beach where we could bail it out. The lifeguard boat also showed up but left once it
was obvious that we were okay. I figured we’d bail the boat out and take it home to clean up
the mess.
It took a long time to bail out the boat; the cabin holds a lot of water and those cushions are
very heavy when wet! I put the motor on the stern and made the mistake of trying to start it. I
regretted it immediately because the air box was full of water and the motor belched one time
as it sucked in the salty seawater and then wouldn’t even attempt to start. My new boat was
flooded, and its new motor had seawater inside it!
We tried to reef the main and sail away from the beach but the wind was blowing directly onto
the beach, and we ended up grounded every time before we got going.
I tried getting into the water and pushing the boat out away from the beach but was afraid to
get it too far out with out climbing on board because Antonio wouldn’t know how to operate the
boat if the wind carried it away without me. I decided against partially raising the centerboard.
I took the main sail down and put up the jib but figured that wouldn’t work because the wind
would turn the boat towards the shore – it did. Perhaps I should have put up the reefed main
and the jib but I was leery of getting knocked down again, and having to bail the boat out all
over again.
We had a paddle and tried paddling a few times but the wind was too strong. It is amazing
how much wind the cabin catches. In the end, I waded in the water along the shoreline to get
closer to the dock and then swam the boat the last 100 feet or so. It is much easier to pull it than
push it!
I ended up with numerous scrapes and cuts on my feet and ankles from wading on the rocks
lining the shoreline and was glad to go home.
I cleaned out the carburetor and air box, washed down the motor, drained the oil, put new oil
in it, cleaned the spark plug, and started the engine. I changed the oil again after letting it run
for a few minutes.
All total I spent about 12 hours cleaning. Two of the cushions took days to dry out. You’d think
boat cushions would be made of some sort of foam in them that doesn’t absorb water but these
have foam in them similar to those expensive foam bed mattresses.
I took apart and cleaned the electrical box panel and navigation lights. The top of the mast had
mud on it so we probably would’ve turtled had the water been deeper.
Months later I put a battery in the boat and discovered there was a short. After much chasing I
discovered that the stern light bulb was shorted out. The cabin light also self-destructed. I
replaced both with LED lights.
I think Stanley Smith’s sailing tips are still very relevant today and we probably would not
have capsized if I had followed them. I didn’t close the portholes or the hatch. The only jib I
had at the time was a 110% lapper.
I think it is important to remember that the sail area of the Potter has been increased yet the
boat is undoubtedly lighter since it is made of fiberglass. I didn’t reef the main and the
mainsheet was tied off. The boat ended up lying on its starboard side with the weight of the
motor and the wet cushions holding it down. Just closing the portholes might have prevented
capsizing. Also the centerboard was not tied down.
I have sailed my Potter on the ocean several times without incident since capsizing. I check the
weather and keep the cabin closed up. I have a storm jib now that I really like because I can
see what is in front of me!
Hopefully others can learn from my experience but I have written 4 pages of story that can be
condensed to a page by reading Stanley Smith’s sailing tips. His design and advice have
stood the test of time.
Curtis Fitzgerald
Escondido, California
for a sail. We could see waves breaking over the entrance to the harbor. A sign at the ramp
warned that the entrance to the harbor was closed by order of the harbor police and “Don’t
even think about trying it”!
I decided to go to Mission Bay and launch from the South Shores launch ramp near Sea World. I
don’t like this ramp because there is a bridge between the ramp and the dock so someone has
to ride the boat to and from the trailer. The wind was coming out of the West, cutting across the
launch area. Just outside the boat launch ramp and dock is a shoreline lined with rock and then
a beach.
This was our 3rd time using the boat and I had limited sailing experience. My wife and I took
some lessons several years ago. My son is 8 years old and is even more of a novice than I.
There was a brisk wind; the weather forecast that day was predicting near coastal winds of 10-
15 knots. I didn’t think much about the wind, as I was eager to launch and start sailing. I
neglected to close the open portholes (installed on my 2011 P-15) and install the hatch. I also
put the motor in the cabin because I didn’t see a need for it on the bay, but was concerned
someone might steal it if I left it locked on the trailer. I figured the extra weight in the cabin
would help the boat sail better.
It was a struggle to get the main sail up because we couldn’t position the boat facing the wind.
So I moved it to the end of the dock so it would face the wind, but then the wind shifted slightly.
This should have been my first clue that we needed to reef the main sail and leave the jib down
since we didn’t have a storm jib.
We set off from the dock and were moving really well! The boat heeled over considerably so I
turned into the wind to lose some power. I had tied off the boom end sheeting while we were
rigging the main sail and neglected to release it once we set off. The wind once again shifted
slightly and we heeled over hard so I turned into the wind.
Perhaps I turned the wrong way or the wind shifted. I never knew we were going over until I
found myself rising to the surface. Both of us were wearing type III life preservers and the water
was fairly calm so there was no danger, but my son was pretty upset at first and kept swimming
away from the boat.
I alternated between telling my son to stay with the boat and trying to retrieve items that were
floating away while thinking about how to right the boat. The centerboard was not tied down
because I was planning on tacking back and forth the channel to work my way West and I
figured it would be better to have it free if we ran aground. Fortunately it didn’t fall into the
cabin and was sticking partially out of the boat. I pulled it out, stood on it, and tried to right the
boat but it wouldn’t budge.
I had my son hold onto the centerboard while I untied the outhaul, tied a dock line to the
cockpit railing that was under water, and threw it over the hull to Antonio. Both of us stood on
the centerboard while I pulled on the line and the boat righted itself. It was completely
swamped and the stern barely floated above the water.
An inflatable raft with a 9.8 hp engine arrived and a nice couple in the raft helped us get the
boat to the beach where we could bail it out. The lifeguard boat also showed up but left once it
was obvious that we were okay. I figured we’d bail the boat out and take it home to clean up
the mess.
It took a long time to bail out the boat; the cabin holds a lot of water and those cushions are
very heavy when wet! I put the motor on the stern and made the mistake of trying to start it. I
regretted it immediately because the air box was full of water and the motor belched one time
as it sucked in the salty seawater and then wouldn’t even attempt to start. My new boat was
flooded, and its new motor had seawater inside it!
We tried to reef the main and sail away from the beach but the wind was blowing directly onto
the beach, and we ended up grounded every time before we got going.
I tried getting into the water and pushing the boat out away from the beach but was afraid to
get it too far out with out climbing on board because Antonio wouldn’t know how to operate the
boat if the wind carried it away without me. I decided against partially raising the centerboard.
I took the main sail down and put up the jib but figured that wouldn’t work because the wind
would turn the boat towards the shore – it did. Perhaps I should have put up the reefed main
and the jib but I was leery of getting knocked down again, and having to bail the boat out all
over again.
We had a paddle and tried paddling a few times but the wind was too strong. It is amazing
how much wind the cabin catches. In the end, I waded in the water along the shoreline to get
closer to the dock and then swam the boat the last 100 feet or so. It is much easier to pull it than
push it!
I ended up with numerous scrapes and cuts on my feet and ankles from wading on the rocks
lining the shoreline and was glad to go home.
I cleaned out the carburetor and air box, washed down the motor, drained the oil, put new oil
in it, cleaned the spark plug, and started the engine. I changed the oil again after letting it run
for a few minutes.
All total I spent about 12 hours cleaning. Two of the cushions took days to dry out. You’d think
boat cushions would be made of some sort of foam in them that doesn’t absorb water but these
have foam in them similar to those expensive foam bed mattresses.
I took apart and cleaned the electrical box panel and navigation lights. The top of the mast had
mud on it so we probably would’ve turtled had the water been deeper.
Months later I put a battery in the boat and discovered there was a short. After much chasing I
discovered that the stern light bulb was shorted out. The cabin light also self-destructed. I
replaced both with LED lights.
I think Stanley Smith’s sailing tips are still very relevant today and we probably would not
have capsized if I had followed them. I didn’t close the portholes or the hatch. The only jib I
had at the time was a 110% lapper.
I think it is important to remember that the sail area of the Potter has been increased yet the
boat is undoubtedly lighter since it is made of fiberglass. I didn’t reef the main and the
mainsheet was tied off. The boat ended up lying on its starboard side with the weight of the
motor and the wet cushions holding it down. Just closing the portholes might have prevented
capsizing. Also the centerboard was not tied down.
I have sailed my Potter on the ocean several times without incident since capsizing. I check the
weather and keep the cabin closed up. I have a storm jib now that I really like because I can
see what is in front of me!
Hopefully others can learn from my experience but I have written 4 pages of story that can be
condensed to a page by reading Stanley Smith’s sailing tips. His design and advice have
stood the test of time.
Curtis Fitzgerald
Escondido, California
Curtis Fitzgerald and Antonio