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My last boat had roller furling genoa. Now I find myself working to feel safe at the bow for sail changes with hanked-on sails. Question is, what do you do to stay stable, while still having two hands to get the sail hanked-on? I have a bow pulpit and single lifelines that attach to the base of the pow pulpit.
ive done it off the coast a few times, i just stick my booty out with a wide stance, let out a few whoops and hollers (i am a country boy after all) as the bow plows in. i think its pretty fun and even funnier im sure to watch. also work fast and use a lifeline. i single hand, so have a harness/lifejacket that i dawn before leaving the cockpit
On our recent Gulf race, a crewmate and I went to the bow in some relatively bucky seas (5'-6') to change out the headsails when the wind came up. We were short-tethered into jacklines and on our knees and did okay.
However, we weren't dealing with any big water over the bow - which would have been a very different story I'm sure.
Get your weight low (& you'll learn to use your toes almost dug into the deck). Hank on the tack first and quickly work your way to the head (already with halyard attached)
In reverse, try and have someone to grab the loose sail before it flogs itself or you!
I learnt on the bowsprit on this - there is a large genoa on the end of the bowsprit as well. I learnt a need for a sense of survival at an early age. To say one may get wet up on the bow is an inderstatement. It is cool!
Clip with a short harness line to a jackline that will not allow the distance to have you spill over the lifelines. When you reach your work location, you can use two opposing short lines to stabilize. If you're solo, don't put yourself in the position where you can be left suspended over the side of your vessel without the strength to climb back.
place bottom firmly in bow pulpit facing aft feet spread apart jammed against toerails, if foresail was folded with some forethought, the luff will be accessible while most of sail remains in bag.
If solo on bow, then tie sail bag to something before going to pulpit.
Bowman gets wet - it is part of the lore and mystic of Bowmen.
place bottom firmly in bow pulpit facing aft feet spread apart jammed against toerails, if foresail was folded with some forethought, the luff will be accessible while most of sail remains in bag.
This is what I do. I sit right on the bottom rail of the pulpit. Keeps the wind out of my face, gives me both hands, and is actually kind of relaxing compared to squatting on the foredeck.
Everybody who told you to make sure you clip on is doing you a disservice, since I'm sure you're doing that already. Clipping on doesn't keep you in place, just makes it not impossible for your crew to find you, and slightly less impossible to climb back aboard solo.
Had to go forward a few years ago to release the furling line jammed into the drum with too much sail up on a very blustery 20kt day.
6 ft seas on a 3 ft bow was a challenge.
Kept low and used both short ends of my safety line to get forward. Then clipped on at the bow while I unraveled the line from the drum.
Luckily had my son on board and felt a bit more relaxed with him in the cockpit.
Wet and scary but had to be done. Now I keep a good eye on the furler when I,m letting out sail.
Safe sailing.
..........and if you're not alone in the cockpit, casually walk about like all of us on the easy conditions. If solo and underway, teather in the calm! Take care and joy, Aythya crew
I have had to go to the bow in rough weather a few times when I was alone. I have absolutely NO problem in popping out of the forward hatch and crawling the 6-7 feet to the bow. I tend to sit once I'm there to keep weight low. Oh, and DO clip on to something.
Everybody who told you to make sure you clip on is doing you a disservice, since I'm sure you're doing that already. Clipping on doesn't keep you in place, just makes it not impossible for your crew to find you, and slightly less impossible to climb back aboard solo.
I didn't advise against clipping on, folks. I said that recommending it isn't helping. The conversation went kind of like this:
The OP: Hey, how do I stay safe working right at the forestay?
Everybody: Just clip in, you'll be fine.
Adam: Is that all? At least *one* person suggested using a rigid part of the boat for support.
Read before you comment, folks. Nowhere do I say not to clip in. I just pointed out that clipping in serves a different purpose than most folks here seems to believe.
The bow of my boat is about two feet wide where I'm kneeling to hank on a jib. Even a short tether is not going to do much to keep me on the deck.
FWIW I'm usually clipped in when out of the cockpit, but only for the reasons I mentioned, not because I believe it will prevent me from falling overboard.
I agree. That is the problem, the tether keeps you safer up until you get far enough forward that you could go over the lifeline and just hang there. I doubt it would be safer to unclip at the bow, but I realize the tether won't always keep me on the boat that far up.
if you have a short teather fixed to a strong point or even two teathers, then your pull in a stance against the hold of the teather will keep you in place. I don't think there is a big divide here, but just a different way that we might use the teather.
Just two attachment points a bit aft of the bow on either side would limit your movement to the center if you had two short tethers. The diagram might be over-optomistic showing the range of movement.
The first thing to do is get rid of the piston hanks on your sail. Piston hanks take two hands to operate and they can get jammed with salt.
Switch to Wichard hanks. They only take one hand to clip on or off and they never stick.
This change alone will solve all of your problems. I only use Wichard hanks on my Olson 30 and after some 1,000 sailing days I have NEVER had any of the problems that others claim to have with them.
That is a good idea. I may be looking into some sail repairs, and will consider that.
BTW, your singlehanding tome is awsome.
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