Center board up, down wind, under spinnaker, one reef in the main, 8 knots, 3 crew. A stronger wind gust capsize Lady C. After a few seconds, water start entering the cockpit and the mast touches the bottom.
Thanks to all the foam I have put in the hull aft and the forward void spaces, Lady C. stays afloat, but never comes back up. We have to call help and get the Lady C. salvaged by BoatUS.
The mast comes back in 3 pieces, the sails are all damaged and the motor no longer works, but the hull is intact... We have to stay onshore for a few weeks, until we find a new mast and a new set of sails.
Lessons learned:
- Lady C. is well build
- Void space forward and foam in the aft of the hull prevented Lady C from sinking.
Improvement:
- See if I can put foam in the next mast head.
- Buy a wind meter.
- Keep the VHF handy at all times.
- Keep the cell phone, car keys and wallet in handy closed bags.
Thanks to:
- The Oceanis 39 who was the first on the scene and rescue us
- BoatUS who brought Lady C back up
- Pete who had a handy VHF
- Pol who will remember what the big red sail looks like!
