Another Day Another Keel Lost

by Jack Innis on 24 Feb 2006 ‘The Log’, 22nd Feb reports that Schocking Turn, a high-tech Schock 40, lost its keel and rolled onto its side last week in San Diego Bay. All four on board were tossed into the water but were rescued by a passing boater, with no injuries reported. The boat was towed to a Shelter Island boatyard.

Schockazulu was sailing near Ballast Point when it encountered wakes from a passing harbor cruise vessel. The boat's owner told Sea Tow Capt. Bubba Severance that he heard a big crack. Then the keel dropped off.

The boat immediately rolled onto its side and all four occupants were thrown into the water. A Good Samaritan witnessed the accident, picked up the passengers and made a VHF radio Channel 16 mayday call to the Coast Guard. The passengers were transferred to a San Diego Harbor Patrol boat and taken to shore. There were no injuries reported.

What caused the keel to fall off the 2000 Schock 40 is not known, but Severence said he does not believe the vessel struck a submerged object.

'Judging from where the boat was and where the skipper said he was, there's not much to hit out there,' Severance said.

The incident did not appear to happen near a submerged jetty that runs perpendicular to the Zuniga Jetty. That submerged jetty has claimed numerous boats over the years. Severance described the skipper as a very knowledgeable sailor familiar with San Diego Bay.

Towing Schockazulu to a nearby boat yard was no easy matter, said Severance. The boat had three sails hoisted when it flipped. Towing protocol dictates that the mast, boom and rigging be dismantled prior to moving in such instances. But with darkness beginning to fall on the busy San Diego Bay, Severance opted to slowly tow the fully rigged boat into America's Cup Harbor.

'There were a lot of big boats and ships in the harbor at the time, and even the ones going slowly threw up a lot of wake,' Severance said. 'We wanted to get the boat into calm waters as quickly as possible.'

Once inside the protected waters of America's Cup Harbor, a crane was used to remove Schockazulu's carbon fiber mast, boom and rigging. The boat was further stabilized with air bags and pulled from the water at Shelter Island Boatyard.

Workers were examining the boat's keel for clues. According to a company Web site, Schock 40s feature a canting ballast system comprised of a 1,800-pound lead bulb attached to a stainless steel strut. The canting system - essentially a hinge that allows the ballast to be moved from side-to-side up to 55 degrees from the centerline - is hydraulically operated from the boat's cockpit by electric control buttons. It is not known whether this particular vessel was outfitted with a canting ballast system.

Schockazulu is owned by Paul Hemond of San Diego, according to Coast Guard documentation. 'The Log' ends by saying that telephone calls regarding the capsizing were not returned.

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