SCAMP #645 Capsize Practice

I rekon it is really important to practice capsizing any cruising dinghy. One reason I chose to build a SCAMP was, because from all accounts it is very difficult to capsize - and this exercise confirmed that! The hardest aspect was actually getting the SCAMP to go over. I am very glad I tried the exercise, as I learned a lot, and it gave me the confidence to try a capsize in more lively conditions, which I will try, hopefully while the water is relatively warm here. My thanks to Gerard Van Drempt and Stephen Parker who shared their video of the proceedings, and to Chris Stockman who above and beyond the call of duty swam over to help me get the boat to go over. One important lesson for me is how tired you get. After a few overboard reboarding drills and the first capsize, I was starting to run out of energy. Second important lesson was, watch out for that mainsheet. After the second capsize, the mainsheet had unrolled lots of length which created a right snaring hazard. Third lesson: put everything in good drybags. I only got a cup of water in three of the hatches - and might have got less if we had bailed out between capsizes ... but those cups of water sure got around. It takes a bit of time and effort to dry out stuff, so better to keep it dry in the first place. After yesterday, on a fundamental level, I believe I could get the boat up and myself back in if I did go over. The SCAMP really is a wonderful design, I am very pleased with mine.