Actual cockpit accessible latches and thicker gasket material on the hatch rims that compresses when you latch down the lids would be a good start, as well as barrelbolts on at least the bottom hatch slide to keep it in place in dicey conditions. I plan to put a permanently mounted Whale bilge pump in my cockpit because the wind conditions you describe here are blowing along the coast down here in Corpus Christi 75% of the time in the summer. I am also considering a couple of two inch scuppers set about six inches above the cockpit sole with flapper valves on the seaward end to dump a full cockpit quickly down that low where the existing floor scupper will handle the rest while a newly chaste captain proves once again that the best bilge pump is a scared man with a bucket. You might consider a method for dumping the jib as well as the main when necessary. Good luck, you already have the wind. Tom B M17 #258 On Sun, Mar 9, 2014 at 11:44 AM, Ronald McNeil <ronaldwmcneil@yahoo.com>wrote:
I was participating in the races with the AZ Lake Pleasant Yacht Club on Saturday. With winds of 14-16 and gusts to 20, were doing everything pretty well with PFD's on, the companion way closed up, the main reefed and the gene at about 90%. We made it to the windward mark comfortably, then on the down wind run we opened the gene to 150% and that was fine as well. But we were then over confident and wanting to compete, so we kept the gene out for the windward run to the finish line. Then we go hit by a gust and before we could release the sheets our mast nearly touched down and we took on a good amount of water. I don't know how much of our sail hit the water, I was too busy scrambling to stay in the boat, but I know we were nearly vertical for a moment. After coming back up the water was below the top of the bench seats and companion way, but after bailing out we realized we had a lot of water in every locker and the bilge was full. I don't think the lockers swung open especially not all 3 and I do have some cheep weather stripping on them which creates a little suction when opening them, so I don't know how we got so much water inside them. Please let me know if anyone can advise on best ways to seal the lockers. I'm also considering adding a bilge and a cockpit pump if anyone can advise on that.
Thanks, Ron McNeil M17/Jackpot/#675