Exploding Hound Shackles!

[Martin Searle]

Folks,

All I can say is I got about 100yds off the beach (if that!) and an almighty bang resounded and then it was raining shrouds, trapeeze wires and mast! Was blowing a bit, about F7, and it had just encountered the full breeze for the first time. Bah just put the pesky mast back up after the ODC event Always like the way the mast just gently falls down with the sail attached.

Turned out the two ends of the main hound shackle had splayed apart, first dis-masting I've done on a Sprint for that reason, I've just had the usual shroud breaks before (5 or 6 of those) and once when the bridle wire shackle splayed open in the same way.. Must have had a BIG force on it though or something wasn't quite tight enough.

Pity it was the open day at Seasalter so I provided some entertainment for the onlookers, but one does ones best you know.

Martin S.

[Frank]

Hi Martin,

I also had a shackle failure, the captive one on the traveller, managed to sail in though by taking my righting line under the tramp, round the back beam and attaching it to the sail. ---- I blame it on the Angmering Water !!!!!
:D

[Martin Searle]

[quote="Martin Searle"]Folks,

<snip>
Turned out the two ends of the main hound shackle had splayed apart, first dis-masting I've done on a Sprint for that reason, I've just had the usual shroud breaks before (5 or 6 of those) and once when the bridle wire shackle splayed open in the same way.. Must have had a BIG force on it though or something wasn't quite tight enough.
<snip>
quote]

Looking at the shackle more closely I reckon it was the shackle pin being too loose and it must have come disconnected from the eye with the thread on it, there is a little damage to the thread on the shackle. Thus for a brief second the whole rig was supported by the pin and one eye needless to say everything fell apart then!

Now the moral of this story is:

I was rushing to put my boat back together again on Saturday running late for a race officer duty and so I short circuited my normal checks on the tightness of my shackle pins and just put the rig up and as a result I got bit ! Guess I shouldn't leave that bit out of my short circuit routine.

Martin S.

[Martin Searle]

Hi Martin,

I also had a shackle failure, the captive one on the traveller, managed to sail in though by taking my righting line under the tramp, round the back beam and attaching it to the sail. ---- I blame it on the Angmering Water !!!!!

Definately all that twisting and turning, no wonder those pesky pins unscrewed themselves

Martin S.

[Steve Willis]

At least you were lucky that it was 5 mintues before I got my camera out. That would have been played on an endless loop in two weeks time!!

As you were only 100 metres from the tower I could have had some marvellous video of your not so graceful way of stopping the boat.

It did go with a bang - as you say when the pin finally slipped out of the hound plate.

Still better Sunday than the possibility of it happening in front of the gathered TTers.

It looks like we may have another convert to the Sprint 15 - Tim Seymour really enjoyed his sails with Kevin and with Bob Walker on his 18 - more exhilarating than kite surfing I think.

Steve

[Martin Searle]

Hi Martin,

I also had a shackle failure, the captive one on the traveller, managed to sail in though by taking my righting line under the tramp, round the back beam and attaching it to the sail. ---- I blame it on the Angmering Water !!!!!

What is it about 2 weeks after an open event! because exactly the same thing happened to me, failure of the captive shackle in the traveller car (it snapped at the top), on Saturday. Had to tie the mainsheet to my downhaul line which I tie off at the back beam (its my old laser kicking strap line so its quite long). Got me back to the beach though.

Fortunately the Dinghy Store in Whitstable had a replacement so I was able to get going again on Sunday. If slightly lighter in the wallet.

But better now than in Wales.

Martin S.