Starting a new thread in regards to capsizing my JS II last November. One of the main reasons I wasn’t able to self-rescue was that the top of the mast got stuck in the mud. I am guessing the water depth was on the order of 10 ft or so. At the time I didn’t realize the mast was stuck, it was only after I was rescued, and it took some effort to yank it out.
Right after the capsize, I noticed that the hull floated pretty high out of the water (somewhere between 1/3 to 1/2 of the hull was above the water surface). I think that’s a good thing but perhaps also not a good thing in that it created a significant amount of windage, which caused/contributed to pushing the mast further underwater and into the mud instead of the mast floating more-or-less horizonal at the water surface. FWIW, the sail was still attached to the mast.
I worry that if I were in deeper water, it would have been pretty easy for the boat to turtle. Anyone have any experience or insights on mast floatation on a JS II after a capsize? I know there are some potential solutions involving adding some floatation devices (bags or foam) to the masthead. These would take away from the aesthetics of the boat, so I don’t want to go that route if at all possible.
One thing I will definitely be doing once the weather warms up is to practice recovery from a capsize under various conditions. I’m an experienced sailor of traditional full keel fiberglass boats (e.g., 30 ft sloops) but am quickly learning these small lightweight boats are a completely different game altogether - more challenging in many ways. And great fun too! It’s all part of the learning curve - gotta love it.