keels
I don't know how many saw the story about the Texas A&M race boat that
lost its keel and flipped, trapping one crew member and putting the
rest in the water for 26 hours until they were rescued.
HISTORY OF KEEL CONCERNS SURROUNDING THE CYNTHIA WOODS
The Texas A&M University-Galveston sailboat that capsized last week
when its
keel fell off had been drydocked for keel repairs in 2007 after running
aground. The vessel, christened Cynthia Woods, lost its keel on the
night of
June 6 not long after the start of a race from Galveston to Veracruz,
Mexico. The crew was thrown into the water, and one of them, safety
officer
Roger Stone, drowned while getting two student sailors to safety. The
five
survivors floated in the Gulf of Mexico for 26 hours before being
rescued by
the Coast Guard.
Though Texas A&M's investigation into the incident is in its early
stages,
those familiar with the vessel's design, construction and repair
history are
offering their opinions on what may have gone wrong. Here are some
excerpts:
* It could be related to an earlier grounding that required the keel
to be
pulled off, with bolts that had come loose to be tightened at Galveston
Yacht Service. Company owner Herschel Payne said the keel was reattached
properly but that he did not particularly care for the bolt
arrangement or
the interior supporting structure of the 38-foot racing boat.
* Peter Ross, the man who built much of the prototype for the Cynthia
Woods,
said that several years ago he warned the company that produced it
about a
poor keel design that could result in catastrophic failure. Ross, a
custom
boat builder living in Rhode Island, said he thought the keel was too
big
and heavy for its "footprint" and had doubts about the methods used to
ensure the rigidity of the structure.
* The president of Cape Fear Yacht Works, Kent Mitchell, said the boat
should have lasted 20 years with no major problems. Mitchell said he
discarded Ross’ concerns as he did not have the engineering expertise to
know what he was talking about and was not even referring specifically
to
the Cynthia Woods. Naval architect Bruce Marek, who was responsible
for the
final design, stands by the keel that was chosen and the process used to
secure it to the hull. -- Houston Chronicle, full story:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5837037.html
I'll take 40-year-old Cals, thank you.
Mike Kennedy
Conquest Cal 40 # 96