John Lunn wrote:
Any comments from folks who use Highfield levers?
(A Hobie option at the base of the shrouds which allows one to 'extend' the shroud length for extra leverage).
June 2 was my first capsize in years....
[my lovely wife was driving....her first time with the spin up, and when the gust hit us and we took off like a rocket, like a good dinghy sailor, she turned into the wind. She knows better now....]
to the point - we had a LOT of difficulty righting the H18SX.... with a dolphin striker line secured to my hiking hook.... I am 180 lbs, she is approx 135 lbs, and we needed help from a power boat to lift the mast.... so I was thinking if I should invest in Highfields... a safety question.
Just to update this, there's a great POV video showing a chap solo righting his 20 footer through the use of shroud extenders.
Took him under 5 minutes, and he resorted to the extenders half way in:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqY_zMlETo0[/youtube]
As easy as he made this look, the conditions were mild. He didn't have any waves or complications that could have caused him to dismast, which is the real danger.
Consensus seems to be that a righting bag is a safer, easier tool to use. But equipping a big boat with extenders seems a reasonable backup plan. Especially if one of your crew is injured during the "incident".