From Spookie’s owner Steve Benjamin:
At approximately 12:45 pm today while sailing upwind on port tack in the second race of the Storm Trysail Club’s IRC Championships of Long Island Sound, SPOOKIE’s rig failed just above the lower spreaders. There was about 14 knots of Easterly wind and severe seas at the time. SPOOKIE’s normal crew of 9 were onboard and Steve Benjamin was at the helm. There was no maneuver or crew error involved, SPOOKIE was on port tack for over a minute before the failure, and there was normal runner tension. A new mainsail slightly smaller than the prior main was set for the first time racing today along with a J2 (Medium) genoa. Both sails were trimmed normally.
SPOOKIE has recently been in much windier and rougher conditions including the Ida Lewis Distance Race when winds exceeded 20 knots and seas were much rougher. Currently we are diagnosing the complex damage and there is no clear indication of the cause as yet.
“Gravity. It’s more than just a Theory, it the Law!” – Anarchist Silent Bob. jump in the thread to find out more…
