[Sabreman]

Nice idea about double winching. I'll have to keep it in mind even though we use the monster Lewmar 48 jib sheet winches.

I use the main halyard and it's D shackle (with screw pin). I also use the spin halyard and tie it to the chair with a bowline.

I also wear my harness and wrap the tether 2x around the mast. If both halyards or the chair were to fail, the harness will keep me from falling away from the mast and hopefully slow the fall as it slides down the mast. When I get to a set of spreaders (we have 2 sets), I move the tether over the top of the spreaders.

As I am raised up the mast, we stop about every 5', and take up the slack on the spinnaker halyard and re-cleat the spin and the main halyard (even though the 48's are self tailing). All those safety lines are great, but the sudden load on 10 or 20 feet of slack line could be enough to part something. I'd rather risk the impulse load from 5' of slack than 10' or 20'.