Just been out sailing in my 14 again after it being out of action for 3 months. Great fun but I'm still having major issues righting her after a capsize. I sail with my sister and our combined weight is around 21.5 stone so righting it is never going to be easy. The boat always lies with the hull upwind of the rig across the wind, when we try and right it the boat does not turn up into the wind at all making the fully batterned main power up a bit. Ditching the kicker doesn't help either.

We tried swimming the bow into the wind but when we then tried to right it it started to bear away again. I'm going to try righting the the rig upwind of the hull and having my sister hand onto the trapeze handle next! Nothing else seems to work. I've never had any issues with righting RS800's or 29er's.

Any advice guys?

Jib sheet eased?
If the boat has a self tacker, it may be that there isn't enought throw to the cascade and so the jib is pulling the bow down.  Add length somehow.

Anoher possibility is that the tiller is not staying on center. SOmetimes the heavy double tiller extensions are enough move the tiller and rudder around, can cause the boat to beart away or tack on top of you as you are comming up. A good bungee to keep the helm centered often helps keep things normal while you fracas.

SHC

what about one of u holding the bow as it is righted so that it turns head to wind?

The mast is carbon luckily. I'll give the mast to windward righting method a go and see what happens.

The boat came with pretty thick elastic around the tiller but I'll replace it since it's in a bad state. I've put twin tillers on (2 rs600 extensions) which are failry heavy so this might also be an issue.

A few other thinks to try here too, cheers guys.

Oops double post!

You think kicker on would make capsize recovery easier? My experience with fully battened dinghy sails isn't that extensive, but I know that on a Merlin with a full-length top batten, kicker off definitely helps during capsize recovery. You want a soft leech to make it easier for the water to stream off.

Kicker off can save your mast if it its the ground in wavy condition.

If you got a VANG it doesn't change that much to pull or let the kicker and sten iq right you will never depower your sail enough.

If you got a simple GNAV putting it off is a good idea.

On my old Morrison 8 I could capsize and recover in less than 30 sec. Now that I have a Bieker 3 it's another story. I missed a race just because I was exhausted righting back my boat in 15 knts but wavy conditions. The self tacker was so short that the jib was always filling in .

It's really important that the first person in jump on the tiller and head to wind eventually by also pulling the main .

Coming form a 12' skiff background, with a bit of I14 and 16 experience just for good measure, we do it as follows

First of all me and my driver are 85kg each(approx 13 stone)

1. pack kite away
2. make sure jib is uncleated \ eased
3. in a bit of breeze let the Vang off
4. don't worry about the cunno
5. put heaviest person furtherest away from the hull hanging onto the harness of the person in front
6. as the boat comes up is it sitting away from the breeze or into the breeze
7. if it away(mast on the Leeward side) keep pulling front person should try to put a leg (back on works best for me) over gunwale and almost can step in without getting wet holding onto the trapline.
8. If mast is to the breeze GENTLY pull on the boat hope fully you can keep the mast tip a foot or so above the water( not enough to lift the boat and send you under and up the other side(Russian roll?)) but just enough to blow the rig around and then reread 7
9. once ONE of you is in the boat try to get things sorted by grabbing main sheet and jib sheet to get the boat moving and for balance driving gets in grabs tiller and of we go once more.

We don't have shock cord(elastic) on the tiller you can steer by heel and sail pressure. We do have a LIGHT tiller, with twin extensions and a light rudder

I hope this helps.

Actually on the 14 you just need to grab the spinnaker sheet on both side from the block and you have a wonderful righting line.

Unless you are more than 100 kg combined crew it's really easy to right back a 14 (I do it alone with 70 kg). The problem is to keep the boat right after.

That is what I've been using as a righting line. Even doing this, the tip of the mast will hardly leave the water without the crew on the daggerboard and I'm 70kg.

Could be. With the masthead just clear, the main is just floating on top of the water.

Tomorrow I'm going out again and have a few goes at righting the boat different ways with a rib next to us and see what works.

A quick update for anyone this may help. I tipped the boat in over a sand bar today so we could stand and have a play at righting it. With my sister holding the boat into wind I could right it by myself.

I tried righting it without her holding it at all and she watched the rudder. As the boat starts to come up it is moving forwards a bit and the rudder is all the way over, making the boat bear off and power up.

Mystery solved. I guess bigger/tighter elastic round the tiller may help this.

A Morrision 7A (1993) but modified to current (1996?) rules. Not competitive with the new boats though!

Had a few minor mods since these pics were shot. She's kept at Tudor SC on langstone harbour not teh tiny lake in these pics A lot of boat for £800. Sailing it yesterday the guys sailing their RS800s were all staring at us blasting around with the spin up for the first time.

On our boat the kite doesn't use up anywhere near all the kite chute. It mostly just keeps the halyard from getting tangled really. Seems to work ok, I've never tripped over it (yet).