I recently became an owner of a Stratos CB and during a recent race I capsized whilst reefed. The boat inverted very quickly and only stopped due to depth of the water. Are there any tips to prevent this, does the boat invert quicker due to floatation part of sail being lower down the mast. Any recommendations for using a mast head float as well...
This is one of the downside traits of the Stratos i believe. With our club training Stratos we insist on a 40L float being attached to the masthead to prevent inversion. The problem is that the stratos is a very beamy boat and pretty heavy. in the time that the ballast tank to leeward takes to fill the mast is already pointing downwards when capsized and the sail is pushed under water hence the tendency to invert. once fully inverted both ballast tanks fill and it then becomes harder to right!!. We found with our boat that the masthead float foam in the sail was a waste of time and may well have added to the problem as the pouch filled with water. ultimately speed is of the essence and if your crew can get over the high side before she has gone fully over then you may be able to save inverting. i also find as helm that i jump in to leeward to try and reduce the inducing weight still in the boat.....not forgetting to remain in contact with the boat but swimming clear to the transom so as not to become trapped.
Hope this helps but if at all nervous of inversion and sailing with young children/ inexperienced people aboard i would strongly recommend the Crewsaver 40L mast float.
Fully support above, the key it getting weight on the centreboard quickly. I have had my boat for about 6 or 7 years and have only inverted twice, both in very strong winds with a following sea....there is tendency for the CB to lift into the housing and it is important to stop this....I attach shock cord to the handle and clip onto the footstrap to stop this otherwise righting from inversion is challenging without help! That said inversion is very rare, quick action to get clear and onto the CB is key...
Thank you both. I'll look at a masthead float for strong winds. Fortunately Cardiff Bay is not deep enough to invert, but I don't fancy bending the mast. Is the crewsaver 40l the best option or is there alternatives that sit closer to the mast. As for the CB retracting I identified that issue before sailing the stratos and did exactly what you suggested.
Hi All, Further to the thread above I realised there is a laser float which seems to go up with the sail. Anyone got any experience with this? It obviously has less buoyancy than the Crewsaver 40L option, but it is sufficient to do the job as it seems to me that 40L may be overkill.
Stratos CB Inversion
Posted - 30 Jun 2013 : 22:17:39
