Nearly every new sailor will do it. I remember my first real gust of wind, my heart racing as I threw myself out onto the hiking straps, the grin on my partner's face as we tempted the integrity of the boat itself. Nearly every new sailor comes across a point where he or she encounters more aggressive conditions than he is used to and over estimates the ability of his boat. Nearly every sailor will have to learn to recover from capsizing.
It was summer of 2008 and my sailing partner, Graham, and I were finally old enough to sail FJs and work in teams. We were two of the most of the most experienced and educated sailors, and we were also two of the most daring. So, it was not to anyone's surprise when, as the rest of the sailors tied off their boats and awaited the oncoming storm on land, Graham and I chose to take advantage of a windy day. We were experiencing sailing as we had never experienced it before; our hearts raced as we cut through the sleek top of the water. We were truly in the eye of the storm, the breeze was heavy and refreshing, the temperature warm and relaxing. Everything seemed to revolve around us in that moment. But as our pride swelled and our ears filled with the cheers of our classmates cheering us on from the island's edge, we tested our luck a little too much. We hadn't even noticed that the boat had started to keel over, and, in an instant, there was water rushing into our boat. There was no swift jerk yanking us out the boat. Rather. It was more as if the lake was sucking us into its grip. It was as if the lake wanted to savor our expressions and force every ounce of panic out of us and we watched it devour the Lake Murray Yacht Club's nicest boat.
The method to uprighting a capsized boat is pretty practical and probably the only logical manner you could come about a 500 Lb piece of fiberglass in a lake. You have the heavier of the two sailors stand on the dagger board and, once they are sturdy, grab on to the side of the boat and lean all of their force back. Meanwhile, the lighter partner waits on the opposite side of the boat near the center, and allows the boat to scoop them up while it's rotating so that someone is already in the boat when it is flipped. It's a rather simple process and something most sailors can acquire a feel for in a few tries. But, for two 12 year old boys, stranded in the middle of the lake without an instructor, recovering a capsized boat had to be the most impossible task anyone has ever asked. Graham squirmed across the side of the boat, pushing and pulling, yanking and tugging, and all the while we were submerging our boat further. Our sailing instructors could not have been more displeased.
So, I would very much reccomend practicing uprighting a capsized boat before you even consider any sailing. Obviously the procedure varies from boat to boat, but for beginner, one to two man boats, it requires very little space or time. Find some open water offshore or near a dock and bring a partner. Flip your boat over by letting the boom go free, letting the tension out of all lines, planting your feet firmly in one crease of the boat, and pulling the opposite outside of the edge in toward you. After the boat is capsized, swim out to the dagger board, place you feet out as far onto the tip as possible, and pull along that same outside edge toward yourself and the water. Practice this several times to get a good feel for it. If you have any other questions about capsizing recovery check out http://www.sailingcourse.com/smallboat/capsize_recovery.htm. Good luck!
