@renaultf1:
Hey Jason…I have a question. If you sail/race with Roo...what DOES happen if you capsize...have you tried it? Roo is tied to the boat, right...what happens if he gets trapped under the sail, or gets wrapped up in some rigging? I've never sailed on a scow but know of the boats and I do understand that they capsize. I ask because I've sailed/raced one design for years (lasers, J24s - owned my own--and crewed for years on PHRF, One Tonners, 50ft class, IMS and MORC (traveling from Maine to Florida for huge regattas both inshore and offshore))...I've seen many unexpected and sometimes bad things happen.
You might want to capsize a few times on purpose with him so that at least you'll know how it goes in a planned situation. Trust me, the man overboard drill I learned and practiced every year came in handy on more than one occasion. Its one thing for a person that knows they need to keep their head up and can figure their way out of being trapped, but I'd be worried that an animal would not know what to do if trapped underwater. I've been trapped underwater under a sail before and trying to get an air pocket under it isn't as easy as you might think and is quite disorienting (as you're pushing up, you are going down)...and I'm a STRONG swimmer.
I'm not trying to be an alarmist, but I would seriously practice the whole thing...and not just once. I've raced on boats with olympic class sailors (in fact, a couple of gold medalists and 2 silver medalists and others who have competed at the olympics). And throughout the years, every one of the boats with these uber experienced people have run into trouble (whether due to weather, boat failure, shifting wind conditions or crew inattentiveness)...things that have happened include flash tacks due to a wind shift, broaches, capsize/pitchpole and mast breakage and people have ended up in the water unexpectedly.
Just something you might want to consider. I always prefer to try things out in a controlled setting and then at least it isn't a complete surprise.
You sail in a completely different class and situation than we do. I will do my best to answer your questions.
You suggested in your questions that Roo was tied to the boat. The answer to that suggestion and / or question is ABSOLUTELY NOT! There is no way I would ever tie a person or an animal in a boat. It would never be safe to do so nor would it be responsible.
I really have to ask you who manufactured the sailboat that say you sailed on that was called a PHRF? To my knowledge PHRF is a handicap rating system that allows sailboats of different shapes and sizes to race against each other and then provides a formula for adjusting the sailing time for each individual boat. That way they can get a fair comparison at the end of a race.
We happen to sail on a lake, and it appears that even though you mention you have done some sailing inland, most of what you have mentioned from Maine to Florida is done on the ocean. As you know the conditions and problems that ocean sailors face, are much different than Inland.
You are on the coast, and I am in IL. Since I am Inland, I can pretty much choose where and when I will sail. I also have Miranda in the boat as well. We own a 16 foot scow with a 26 foot mast. If you look up a Melges MC Scow you will see what I sail. I sailed last year in 25-30 mile an hour winds on the Misissippi at the Polar Bear Regatta last year, but I would never take my Basenji out in conditions like that.
I have also attended different Regatta's before Roo joined us.
Lets face it you have to use some common sense in choosing the things you do and the conditions you do them under.
Lets be clear on one thing, I certainly would never knowingly put my Basenji in harms way. At this point, Roo will only be involved in club racing, which our sailing club has scheduled every week here. If you have been around sailing as much as you have stated then you should be very familiar with what club racing is. Other than that, Roo will be pleasure sailing with me.
You also might be interested to know that there is another dog at our lake that is dragged behind a power boat on a large inner Tube. The dog seems to love it and apparently had better balance than the people he sometimes shares his Tube with.
The Melges MC Scow, is a much different boat from the J-24 or Laser. In my opinion, the Scow is a very stable boat compared to others I have sailed.
If you noticed in the pictures, Roo has his own life Jacket. His life jacket also has a handle on it so he can be dragged out of the water quickly. I have already taken Roo swimming several times this year so if he ends up in the water, he will have some idea of what to do and his life jacket will help him keep afloat. I know because I tested the Life Jacket with the dog in it! It would be foolish for anyone to take any dog into the water if they have not planned for their safety.
As far as capsizing goes, it certainly can happen. I have capsized in other boats, and I have never seen it happen so quickly that sail ends up under water right away. Also there are flotation devices for the mast, that keep a small sail boat from turtling. In my case, I am prepared for this because I have a 26 foot mast and the deepest part of our man made lake is only 18 feet and is mud. I have no desire to get my mast stuck so I have a flotation device.
If you have sailed with guys who have Olympic experience, then most likely they are pushing the envelope. Not everyone that sails and races use the same tactics. Not all Inland lakes are the same either.
In todays world, we have weather reports which include both high wind and storm warnings. Although the weather is always unpredictable, you can get a good idea of what you might run into on any given day.
Just as You, I am a very strong swimmer. I was an AAU swimmer and was on the team in high school. I am also former Navy. I learned to sail about 36 years ago when I was 15. I took a long break from it and only recently purchased the two sail boats I currently own. I will never claim to be the worlds greatest sailer, but as you probably are aware, if you do preventative maintenance on your boat, you can greatly reduce the risks of having boat failure and equipment failure issues. Like you say, inattentiveness can get you hurt.
I certainly understand your concerns, but now that you have more information , maybe you can lay some of them to rest.
Jason
...there is no such thing as a PHRF boat...Many times up here when the small boat season is over, if I race on big boats (on J35s for example) if there aren't enough to make a one design class, we'll race them PHRF. In fact, when we've raced J35s as one design, for race weeks, we've also scored them PHRF as there are different ratings for ones with tillers, masthead vs. fractional rigs, inboard motors...that sort of thing. Also, sometimes 1 tonners and 2 tonners are raced PHRF depending on the size and make up of the fleet. Oh, and IMS is also a rating/measurement system.
