Beneteau 393 capsizes off Tonga.

Click on the picture in the news article to see the vid boat. It appears to be in decent condition. They said 50K winds and 10m waves. If the boat really went all the way over its a testament to the strength of the rigging. The crew called mayday due to injury and got rescued leaving the boat to float with the engine running and hatches open yet it seems to be doing well.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/7927659/Rescued-pair-reflect-on-terror-of-rolled-yacht

The 393 is the model that replaced the 390 (109 deg AVS) which had a inquiry to its stability when someone died in the bay of Biscay. I believe the coroner showed concern regarding the stability and non nondisclosure to the public about the stability.

http://www.maib.gov.uk/cms_resources.cfm?file=/Ocean Madam.pdf

From what I can find, the 393 has a standout stix compared to the rest of the model line up, probably due to this incident. I am curious to why its so hard to find the AVS though. So how much did the changes in the design really help here?

OCEANIS 343 STIX 34 AVS 134

OCEANIS 351 STIX 35 AVS 125

OCEANIS 361 STIX 32 AVS 120

OCEANIS 36CC STIX 35 AVS 126

OCEANIS 373 STIX 36 AVS 132

OCEANIS 381 STIX 38 AVS 130

OCEANIS 393 STIX 43

OCEANIS 411 STIX 37 AVS 114

OCEANIS 423 STIX 38 AVS 119

OCEANIS 44CC STIX 34 AVS 110

OCEANIS 461 STIX 37 AVS 115

Thread on another forum here.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f47/merged-windigo-abandoned-please-help-93248.html

 

Whats the question ?



The Safety and Stability Index numbers look correct for intended purpose.

Search Boatdesign net for the thread "Sailing boats' Stability, STIX and Old Ratios " for more insights.



http://www.rorc.org/special-regulations/safety-and-stability-indices-ssi.html

 

The thread here on stix is good. I have read it. I just thought I would put up a thread on this incident for discussion, much like you have about the coral princess.

I thought it was interesting since we can follow the evolution of this design from the 390 which was criticized for being unstable, now this version is also capsizing in similar? conditions even with the much improved specs. So I wonder how much better the 393 really is over the 390 and I wonder how the other Bene line up would have fared considering the 393 has the best paper specs by far. I assume other prod boats are very similar in this regard.

I know these isolated incidences do not prove much, but what is a better judge? The sea or a formula? 50K is pretty bad, but you cant expect to never get hit by 50K if you are doing the sort of sailing these guys were doing. Is it a good idea to purchase a boat for serious ocean passages if that boat requires winds to stay below 50k before it may capsize?

My boat is of similar design but came out before the stix rule, so these incidences are of interest to me. I was sailing in the same area these guys were 2 months ago. And the week before I did my crossing back to Bundaberg a system similar to this one hammered a few cruising yachts with terrible results. When we did it a week later another system hit us but of a lesser degree. Only 35K for 2 days peaking at 50. I have not had to endure 50K for any length of time as a try to avoid it and I wonder how my boat would have stood up.

 

sea state in Force 10 is deadly for most boats.

In a storm its the crew and boathandling that keep the boat going.

Ive been knocked flat in less than storm sea state conditions.

The ability to return upright rapidly and a boat who can lie on her side and not shift ballast or flood is also critical. .

The STIX numbers are mysterious to me.

I see boats with low numbers that I know are seaworthy and boats with high numbers that I wouldn't put to sea in.

And as always its best to pick the correct weather. With modern forecasting and communications its easy to stay clear of force 10 cruising.