Please select your home edition
Edition
MySail 2025

Kiwi 35 'probably as stable upside down as she was upright'

by Eric Sharp, Detroit Free Press on 22 Jul 2011
WingNuts - just as stable when ’turned turtle’ as when upright SW
Two sailors died last week in the Chicago-to-Mackinac race, after the Kiwi 35 Wingnuts turned turtle, without losing her keel. Top Yachting writer, Eric Sharp of the Detroit Free Press (freep.com) writes:

Online sailing forums have been full of comments about the deaths of two people last week aboard WingNuts in the Chicago-to-Mackinac race. The Kiwi 35 capsized during a midnight storm on Lake Michigan, killing skipper Mark Morley, 51, and Suzanne Bickel, 41, from Saginaw. Six others were rescued.

Several yachts of similar design are entered in the Port Huron-to-Mackinac race, which starts Saturday, and some say those boats aren't safe offshore.

Yet a sailor who knows as much about Kiwi 35s as anyone, someone who helped Morley set up his boat two years ago, said Morley seems to have done everything possible to avoid the disaster.

Mike Kehew of Middletown, R.I., said Morley probably was the victim of bad luck and of the unconventional design that makes the Kiwi 35 so fast. From what I've been able to piece together, I tend to agree.

Keel yachts rarely roll over, but it isn't unheard of if the seas are big enough. What is weird is for a keel yacht to 'turtle' in modest waves and then stay upside down if she hasn't lost her keel. That's what happened to WingNuts.

But Kehew, who raced a Kiwi 35 along the East Coast for five years, said a yacht designer once told him: 'The Kiwi 35 was the only monohull he knew that was probably as stable upside down as she was upright.'

'The reason is the wings,' Kehew said. 'They are essentially buoyancy tanks. And below (in the cabin) you have lockers on either side that are basically airtight. Once it went over, it would stay that way until it was pulled back upright.'

Photos of the overturned boat also made me think the culprit was the hiking wings that extend beyond WingNuts' deck.

In one photo, the mainsail is stowed on the mast that sticks down into the clear water, something a prudent skipper would do with a storm approaching. So there's no big spread of fabric underwater to hold down the boat. You can see the fin keel is intact, including the 1,000-pound bulb at the bottom.

Most yachts over 25 feet depend on a heavy keel and internal ballast for stability. On a Kiwi 35, crew weight substitutes for much of the lead ballast.

Because it is so light, and with so little wetted surface area, the boat can hit 18-20 knots (20-23 m.p.h.) in 15-22 knots of wind. As the wind tips the boat to one side, the crew climbs out on the windward wing to keep the boat flat. It's simple leverage. More wind requires more weight on the wing.

It's difficult to understand why WingNuts turtled in what were reported to be modest seas of 4-6 feet, a bit rough but nothing extreme for Great Lakes sailors. A 35-foot boat should handle waves twice that big.

But if WingNuts was hit by a big wave or gust of wind and tipped to one side, the wing on the leeward side (away from the wind) would dig deep into the water. It would happen so quickly there would be little chance for the crew to get on the windward wing to hold the boat down.

If the high wing on the windward side was then hit from below by another heavy gust, it might be enough to lift the hull and pivot it upside down.

'I agree,' Kehew said. 'I think that's exactly what happened.

For the rest of this story http://tinyurl.com/3o8a84w!click_here and also see the links to other stories on this tragedy on the left sidebar

SCIBS 2025RS Sailing 2021 - FOOTERCyclops Marine 2023 November - FOOTER

Related Articles

Night sailing, Transat Paprec, Congressional Cup
Night sailing, encountering light airs in the Transat Paprec, Congressional Cup We bundled up as the last of the rays sunlight dipped below the Olympic Mountains and night quietly fell on Puget Sound. We'd been racing for about twelve hours in the Seattle Yacht Club's Protection Island Race (April 26), and we were getting tired.
Posted on 6 May
For the love of slightly larger, even faster boats
Bring it on. No chicken chutes allowed. Celestial, the newest Cape 31 in Oz is up and racing Thank you. You have let For the love of small, fast boats run before the breeze like a superlight planning hull under way too big a kite, with immense sheep in the paddock, and the Sailing Master grasping the flare gun in his pocket... No chicken chutes.
Posted on 4 May
The Allure of Timber
The longevity, and sheer beauty, of boats made of wood In these days of exotic materials, high modulus carbon and ultra lightweight construction, it's possible to overlook the longevity, and sheer beauty, of boats made of wood.
Posted on 29 Apr
A look inside the Spirit Yachts yard
A close look at what makes their yachts unique Traditional skills in boatbuilding could be regarded as a lost art from a bygone era. In the world of fibreglass and carbon, the joinery and laminating techniques of wood ribs and cedar strips are a thing of the past.
Posted on 28 Apr
Transat Paprec, Classics, US Sailing, Cup news
Some parts of North America are experiencing a faster approach of spring's warm tidings than others While some parts of North America are experiencing a faster approach of spring's warm tidings than others, the offshore racing action is plenty hot in the Transat Paprec.
Posted on 22 Apr
Make me smile even wider and brighter
What's better than writing about a great programme to get people into yachting? Only one thing... What's better than writing about a great programme to get people into yachting? Well, how about actually speaking with a former participant who has then gone on to work in the industry. That's what!
Posted on 22 Apr
Cup bust-ups; SailGP time-out
A few situations that have been on the build for a while all came to a head within the same week. It has been a tumultuous few weeks on the NZ sailing scene and internationally. A few situations that have been on the build for a while all came to a head within the same week.
Posted on 15 Apr
Pro Sailing Drama and Intrigue
SailGP, the America's Cup, and the sailors themselves have all been in the mainstream news What a couple of weeks it has been in the world of professional sailing: SailGP, the America's Cup, and the sailors themselves have all been in the mainstream news for one reason or another.
Posted on 15 Apr
Mini Globe Race, Princesa Sofía Mallorca news
McIntyre Mini Globe Race news, Princesa Sofía report, Charleston Race Week As global financial markets melt faster than spring snowpack in the American West, I find myself daydreaming more and more of simply setting sail.
Posted on 8 Apr
For the love of small, fast boats - the Cape 26
Chickens, eggs, and boats. Until now, had never, ever put that lot together! The proverbial chicken, an egg, and boats. Not entirely sure I had ever pondered that until after my recent conversation with Davey James and Mark Mills. The genesis for the discussion was the reveal of the new Cape 26 OD....
Posted on 6 Apr