Capsize Procedure
At the outset it should be explained that to date all our capsizes have been due to sailing errors. The Xenon is a broad and intrinsically very stable dinghy however it carries a very powerful rig and when sailed enthusiastically in strong winds a capsize at some point is not uncommon. The Xenon is fitted with excellent righting facilities and a practised crew can be up and sailing again within a minute or so. We are a practised crew - see photo of 15/05/2011 below !!
Crew righting our Xenon. The gennaker is spread around the reservoir and crew is freeing sheets and bringing in gennaker. Note crew is holding the righting line with both hands, keeping the Xenon stable on its side until crew in the water gives him the Ok to right it. Note the convenient Righting lines enabling crew to remain comfortably perched on the Centreboard until lines have been freed. Crew managed to skip on to the centreboard as the Xenon crashed, so no need to use the Pull down lines.
A couple of safety considerations to be aware of;
1.The first rule after a capsize is to check the safety of your crew. The safest place to meet is at the stern of the dinghy but clear of the rudder. On one early occasion we were gathered in the water at the stern discussing the unfairness of life when the dinghy decided to right itself in a strong gust, bringing the rudder down on top of us!
2. In common with virtually all dinghies of this type when the Xenon turtles there is no air pocket under the dinghy. All crew should keep clear if the dinghy starts to turtle (turn upside down). In the interests of accuracy a friend discovered that there was a little air pocket at the cockpit end after the dinghy came over on top of him. However you should not be there!! the danger of getting snagged in the loose sheets and the underwater obstructions such as the hoop and boom is a strong incentive to stay clear.
3. As with virtually all performance dinghies the Xenon carries no reserve buoyancy. All buoyancy is provided by its very solid hull, consequently if as a result of a major collision the hull is holed the buoyancy will be lost and the dinghy will sink!! Remember to check the bung.
The Xenon Righting Facilities
The Xenon is fitted with two righting lines securely fastened to the port and starboard gunwhales. These are kept out of the way under slight tension by lightweight bungee cords. In addition to the righting lines the Xenon has two pull down lines terminated in clips at the transom. The purpose of the pull down lines is to enable the main righting lines to be pulled into the reach of a crew member in the water. This can be done by swimming to the stern and unclipping a pull down line, dragging its attached ring into the centre of the gunwhale and then using the pull down line to pull the main righting line within reach of the crew in the water. The crew can then use it to clamber on to the centreboard and apply their full weight to right the dinghy. More on this later but use this link if you want technical details of the Xenon Righting Line System.
View of main Righting line View of Pull Down Lines
A turtle problem and how to avoid it
Along with most other high performance dinghies the Xenon will turtle (turn completely upside down) in certain circumstances. Turtling does not happen very often and is rare if you use a flotation pack. Turtling is not a disaster but it is a time and energy waster and to be avoided if possible. It is also the one situation that is potentially dangerous. Crew should avoid becoming trapped under the dinghy by keeping clear of the rigging and dinghy until it is stable, either on its side or turtled. The very small air pocket under the turtled Xenon dinghy should not be relied upon. If you are not racing then use the flotation pack that is designed to be tied to the top of the mainsail (we use a double pack). The flotation pack will prevent the Xenon from turtling in most circumstances with the proviso that the crew do not hang on to the rigging or hoop as the capsize occurs - the turning moment caused by the additional crew weight will turtle the dinghy even with a flotation pack. When using a reefed mainsail the effectiveness of the flotation pack is reduced, so clinging to the hoop etc is a definite no no. It is also worth noting that use of the flotation pack will do much to avoid the problem of the mast getting stuck in the mud in shallow waters. At best this requires the Main Halyard block to be cleaned and in the worst case the mast or rigging can be damaged.
One excellent feature of the Xenon is that as you become familiar with it you will get plenty of warning that a capsize is coming and in our experience usually one of the crew manages to climb over the side and step on to the centreboard. This will nearly always avoid turtling. This person should not be in a hurry to right the dinghy, just lean back and counterbalance any tendency to turtle until the other crew member has freed the sheets etc. (see the picture above)., With practice this becomes a very slick operation.
What to do if the Xenon has turtled
If the Xenon has turtled the first stage is to get the dinghy to lay in a stable position on its side. Only then can crew approach to free the sheets, pull in the gennaker etc.
Bringing the Xenon on to its side will require the weight of 2 persons. The worst case scenario is when the centreboard falls into the dinghy as a result of the turtling. If at all possible prevent this happening by the crew closest to the centreboard grabbing and applying sideways pressure to the centreboard before it drops into its casing. Grasping it with one hand will prevent a fall in.
However let us assume the worst has happened... you are faced with a fully turtle Xenon with no centreboard visible.
1. Free one of the pull down lines. Use the pull down line to drag the sliding ring (see below) to the centre of the gunwhale and throw the pull down line over the bottom of the dinghy.
View of the pull down line when clipped, the sliding ring on the end of the pull down line and the main righting line.
Both crew should then swim around to grasp the free end of the pull down line. One crew should use the line to clamber on to the upturned hull, put a foot on the knee of your partner to get a boost. Place one toe on to the gunwhale, using the pull down line to aid balance and applying weight to bring the dinghy on to its side. If the other crew member can get a finger hold on the centreboard casing slot and also assist in pulling the dinghy on to its side this will be useful. Initially nothing will happen the movement of the dinghy will be very slight indeed, so hang on and be patient. Gradually the dinghy and the massive underwater sail will begin to respond to your weight and tip, both crew should continue to apply their weight. As the dinghy comes on to its side try to move your grip further up the pull down line. The point will be reached when the crew will no longer have a toehold on the gunwhale and will need to rely solely on the pull down line until the Righting line comes into reach. Continue to pull on the pull down line/Righting line until the sails appear on the surface of the water. At this point one crew member should continue to apply weight to the pull down line to hold the dinghy on its side but should not attempt to right it.
2. At this stage the other crew member should carefully (keep clear of the rudder) swim to the interior of the dinghy and extend the centreboard as far as possible. Take care at this point that the dinghy does not turtle again trapping the crew member attempting to extend the centreboard. The crew holding the pull down line should continue to do so until both crew members can assist each other at the centreboard. One crew should climb on to the centreboard. Using the knee of your partner to assist the climb on to the centreboard will make the process easier. At this point the dinghy is stable, on its side and with a crew member standing securely on the centreboard holding on to the main righting line. This crew member should concentrate on keeping the dinghy stable on its side with no attempt to right it.
The capsized dinghy is stable on its side with crew on the centreboard
3. This is the usual scenario and from here on the procedure is quick and simple. The swimming crew member should move to the interior of the dinghy, always keeping a wary eye for signs of turtling. If the gennaker is floating around uncleat the gennaker line and gently pull it into the chute. Don't worry if it will not return fully, pull in as much as possible. Warning: do not attempt to right the dinghy with the gennaker in the fully launched position. It may (will) inflate and drag the dinghy. The dinghy may then fall back on top of the crew or sail off without you!
4. Uncleat the main sheet and release the main sheet as much as possible. This will prevent the dinghy from powering up and taking off without you! or being blown over yet again.
5. Uncleat the Jib sheets and attempt to furl the jib as far as convenient and only if it is not going to tangle with the gennaker downhaul line. Otherwise simply make sure the Jib sheet is uncleated.
6. At this point the final righting of the dinghy should be attempted. The swimming crew member should float, not cling or hang!!, into the interior of the dinghy. The crew on the centreboard can now step backwards towards the end of the centreboard. Holding the main righting line, lean as far back as possible but do not jump up and down on the centreboard. This is ineffective and may damage the centreboard or its casing. Once again the initial movement of the dinghy will be slow but will rapidly gather pace.
7. As the dinghy comes upright the swimming crew member will be scooped into the dinghy. Always scoop up the crew! If the crew is not scooped the Xenon could power up or simply blow away, without anyone on board. It may be possible for the crew on the centreboard to tumble into the dinghy as it comes up but if the centreboard crew member acts too quickly the dinghy will fall back again. Tip: don't risk it! Easier for the centreboard crew member to drop into the water as the dinghy fully rights and then swim around to the transom and use the toestraps to haul himself on board. It requires considerable energy to right the dinghy and a bungled righting attempt can be costly in both time and energy for both crew.
At this point the dinghy will be full of water but no worries. The self draining deck will clear it as the helm resumes control.
Tip: We found that hanging on to the main righting lines for a time could prove painful. We have now cut two lengths of 15mm plastic water pipe and threaded them on to the main righting lines. It is now much easier on the fingers to haul the dinghy upright.
The flotation head will not stop the dinghy turtling if the crew hang on the the hoop or lines but it will slow the event substantially. Two flotation heads (fastened on to either side of the sail) virtually eliminate turtling unless both crew hang on to the hoop.
Whilst the flotation head is expensive (£50 2011 prices) it does not need inflating and is rugged in use and importantly presents minimal wind resistance.