I am a novice sailor and have an elderly Solo in need of some maintenance.
A while ago I noticed the limiting screws on the traveller were slipping and as a bodge I tied the block off midship so it is no longer free to move.
Since then I have noticed I have capsized a few times with the boat coming over on top of me.
This is more than likely die to my lake of skill and agility but I am wondering if my bodge is part of the problem and I have made the boat more unstable.
On other dinghys the point at which the force from the sail is applied to the hull is free to move and will naturally be applied to the leeward side of the hull.
I would be interested in any opinions on this and any other possible causes for the boat coming over on top of me because it is not a nice way to capsize!
Matt
With the traveller centralised you will need to use the kicker more to control sail shape. No problem with this but less headroom means possibly more capsizes. At the same time its easier to oversheet and bring the boom in too far - not fast.With no traveller or kicker on, as you let the main out all power will be lost and you may tip in to windward
I would fix the traveller - its unlikely to be a big job
I speak as a mid fleet, occasional swimmer. I look forward to further input from further up the fleet