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Single handing

42K views 140 replies 70 participants last post by  MikeWhy 
#1 ·
Prior to a 100 miler single handed race on L. Michigan, a number of us single handers were discussing the use of safety harnesses. One well respected, and experienced singlehander said he did not use one because, in his opinion, once you go over, forget it - your chances of reboarding are slim. Indeed he was supported by the death of a L. Michigan singlehander the year before who had been found dead, tethered overboard to his beached yacht.

In thinking this over, it would seem to me that the most likely time to go over is when on the fordeck. If one goes over and is tethered, one will only be able to progress sternward as far as the first lower. If you fall over on the high side, forget it - you will never get aboard. On the leeward side you might climb back aboard, but in any kind of wind you will be fighting a lot of bow wave etc.

If you have used a tether, you are undoubtedly aware of what a pain they are, and even sometimes they cause as many problems as they seem to solve. I know that I have often times gotten fouled up in my tether making my trip up on deck more difficult and longer lasting than needed and putting the boat in peril longer than necessary.

Going back to the guy found tethered and dead. He fell over during a mid September race. L Michigan water temp is usually fairly mild that time of year. He concievably could have survived 12 hours before hypothermea set in. Attached to his boat he may have got beat to death against the hull. Unattached he may have washed up on shore alive, as his boat did.

I confess that in calm conditions I will go up on deck unthethered. As things get rougher, I do use my tether, but I am not always sure it really helps, since it makes working on deck so much harder. For long distances I run a line outside of everything from stem to stern that hangs a foot or two below the rail on both sides. I use two tethers thinking (hoping) if I do go over on the fore deck, I can attach the 2nd tether to the stem/stern line and cut the other tether. I would, then, of course, still have a fight to get back aboard once I reached my stern boarding ladders. I feel a scuba divers knife on one''s leg provides a good method to cut a tether. One must have knife that can be accessed and used with one hand.
 
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#2 ·
Hmm....I''ve thought about this more than a few times. I singlehand often. n agree with most posted by Irwin32

I think if I was in a race like that I think I would always try and tether myself on the upwind/high side of the boat I would think with gravity I would always fall downward. But I would do 4(maybe 5) things.

1) I would always wear a self inflating lifevest w/harness with a Very good/Very bright strobe.

2) I would carry a very sharp knife at all times - No excuses.

3) I would carry a high quality waterproof small VHF at all times - No excuses. Most places if you see a boat you might be able to hail someone

4) I would have a side ladder that I could open by activating in the water.. and "try" to climb back on

Possibly # 5) I would trail a very long but small diameter line behind the boat at all times, that I could grab to maybe get back on board.

If I was caught over the side and getting drowned by being dragged in the water, I would cut my tether and hope to still hang on the boat or grab the line being trailed on the boat. If not hope to survive enough hours to hail someone or get somewhere.
 
#3 ·
Having done a serious amount of single handed sailing, my last to Bermuda for my sixtieth birthday I would like to tell you what method I use as I too do not want to be dragged to my death. Simple solution is to use a spare halyard. Now I know it doesnt give you the freedom of the entire boat but it has kept me out of trouble more than once.
Capt. Bruce Gregory http://ipsailor.com
 
#5 ·
I really like the halyard idea and will try it as soon as springtime rolls around.

I use a single jackline that runs down the center of the boat. I have a double teather (3 & 6 ft) and generaly use the 3 ft length. My boat has a 10 ft beam so the 3 feet means I can reach everything from the center of the boat. I run out of jackline as I reach the bow so it would be tough to get thrown over. I do run a risk as I clip on the 6ft section and unclip the 3 ft section if I need to get around something.

As for getting stuck hanging over the side, my tether has a snap shackle that can be opened. I also wear an inflatable PFD/harness, carry a knife and ALWAYS have my waterproof VHF attached to my body or in a pocket. I do this when single handing, when I am the only person on board who can handle my boat and heavy weather regardless.

I also wrap the jackline once around the base of the mast to reduce stretch.

Be Safe,
 
#6 ·
I agree with everything that has been said and would like to add one rule that we ALWAYS follow. If single handing or the only person topside, when it is necessary to leave the cockpit, we hove-to (especially in rough seas). This is a rule my wife and I used and we rarely lost more than 5-10 minutes which is nothing when you consider the alternative.
 
#7 ·
I posted this message on the gear and maint. board also but I thought it might be pertinent for other readers of this board to get feedback on harness choices...

I will be replacing my manual inflatable PFD/Harness with an automatic PFD/Harness this XMASS (thank you Santa)

I currently use SOSpenders. Does anyone have information as to which is better, Mustang or SOSpenders or others?

Also as to SOS they make two models, one is a Westmarine model and a little more expensive than the SOSpenders model. Any idea why or if one is better then the other?

I went to both websites but it wasn''t much help picking a winner

Thanks,
 
#9 ·
We had Bruce''s experience twice aboard WHOOSH...but in truth, both times the dissolveable disk that allows the spring to activate the bottle had received no visual inspection nor routinely been changed out. We purchased a handfull of these disks, which were pretty cheap, and now do a replacement annually on a ''whether it needs it or not'' basis. Obviously, should the bottle blow in lousy conditions you''re given two lousy choices: rooting around in lockers for at least a new air bottle when you may need to be topside...or going without the protection you thought you needed.

BTW both our bottles blew in dry conditions on nice days. If I''d just done a simple visual inspection, I probably would have noticed the disk beginning to fail.

Jack
 
#12 ·
Hi Barb,
A harness with a tether that has 2 attachment points, that are short enough to keep you from going over the side. This way you don''t have to worry about climbing back aboard, which is almost impossible. The other thing is to do things slower than you would if you had crew. Try to think ahead, and be more deliberate. Remember there''s no one to cover for you if you goof up. If you are doing overnighters,try taking short naps every hour or two, even if your not tired.You can go for quite a few days like this without becoming a zombie.
Enjoy youself, the saisfaction you''ll feel is great, Marc
 
#13 ·
What if you took a small diameter line, say maybe 30 or 40 feet long, tied a bunch of knots about a foot apart at one end and tie the other end to the bottom of the spoked helm wheel. On port tack run the line directly to the stbd rail(opposite when on stbd tack)just in front of a stantion and let it trail behind the boat. If you fall off just grab the line that''s trailing in the water. Pulling on the line will turn the wheel turning the boat into the wind...
Right??

Dennis
 
#135 ·
Tristan Jones mentioned this



Dennis - Many single-handers spend most of the time on auto-pilot. A trip line as you suggest might be rigged to turn "öff" the pilot, encouraging boat to round up into wind allowing unfortunate overboarder a better chance of getting back onboard. Tristan Jones mentioned this in one of his books. SAMUELBURNS
 
#14 ·
Anyone who single hands and doesn''t take every step possible to avoid a MOB situation is crazy. I harness up and my spring lines would allow me to just have my knees off the deck should I slip. It wouldn''t be hard to wiggle back on if hips are still on the deck. I am looking at the self inflatable PFD with harness built in. I am still on the hard for now so the purchace can wait. I am thinking that that type of PFD would solve alot of my worries. Even those strage laws the Canadian Goverment has come up with about required PFD for anyone on deck or in the cockpit.
 
#17 ·
On the subject of knives, it seems to me that a good J-hook would work best (and safest) for cutting through the line quickly. As an ex Navy parachute rigger I have found the the J Hook necessary equipment in many situations. Slices through suspension lines, seat belts, and rappelling harnesses with ease.

Additionally, I have reservations about auto actuated PFD''s. They''re great if there''s a good chance you will hit the drink unconscious but otherwise I find them to be more of a safety hazard by themselves than are worth it. If you or crew wear a auto actuated PFD please use caution wearing it below deck. A heeds bottle mounted to the bulkhead is also good piece of mind.

Just my $.02.

Shane
 
#19 · (Edited)
We talked about this last year allot of us had different ideas. Here are two of mine. Take standard dock lines 25' 1/2" with eye spliced in, tie large knots in the line at even distances. Take the spliced end and put it around a stanchion with a pass through the eye and if you fall over with a tether on and if you have done some measurements and placed the ropes where you would be hanging you have a SECOND CHANCE which is what we were calling the devices. a couple or more on each side where you do most of your deck work is a cheep insurance policy. Take them off when your coming into port ,tackie looking things like fenders hanging off the sides while your sailing.:rolleyes: Oh number two was a line draging behing the boat about one hundred feet if your scared you might catch it and pull like Samson.
 
#20 ·
My recommendation is to take every precaution to prevent going overboard, especially if single-handing. Once you're in the water, your chance of surviving drops incredibly...especially in cold water/weather areas.

Good jacklines, harnesses and double-ended tethers are key, as are roller furling head sails, a good storm drogue (preferably a Jordan series drogue), a good PFD (one inflatable for every day use, and a foam one for long term emergencies), good foul weather gear, a good rigging knife (I prefer Boye Knives) and an EPIRB.

Any questions, comments, drop me a note.
 
#22 ·
Almost all of the sailing I have done has been single-handed. At first my only concern was to stay attached to the boat, but then contemplation of being overboard intruded into my conciousness - how was I to get back aboard?. I made and tested a boarding ladder that was accessible from the water. I think it is essential that a single-handing sailor be tethered to the boat and that if the tether enables the sailor to go overboard there has to be means for getting aboard again. This goes for sailors whose crew is not fully capable of handling the boat.

Trailing a line is a nice concept, but what if you miss the line? I can remember reading a single-handed cruising tale where the skipper was becalmed in the doldrums and went swimming using a trailing warp to get back to the boat. A puff of wind filled the sails and the skipper missed the rope. He swam methodically toward his boat and eventually caught it. The mere thought of being a thousand or so miles from land while my sailboat indifferently sailed away gives me the chills. Survival while single-handing needs to be as foolproof as possible and practical.

Paul
 
#23 ·
We were about 200 miles south of Newfoundland on our way to Ireland and hit a fairly calm spot. One of my shipmates thought it was a good opportunity for a swim, so he stripped down and got ready to jump over. Wait a second, we said. How fast do you think we're going, here? "Pretty much sitting still." he figured. Three to Four knots, we advised him. "So?" he said. So tie yourself to this spare jib sheet so we don't have to reverse course to get you, we said. He tied a bowline through the front belt loop of his cut-off jeans. No, we told him. Put the line through that loop, and the next, and the rest of the way around you, and then tie the bowline. " OK, Fine" he grumbled. That done, and the other end securely cleated to the boat, in he jumped. About three seconds later he came to the end of the 60' line and turned to try swimming. No way. The boat simply dragged him twice as fast as he could possibly swim. Whenever he turned to face forward, his own bow wave suffocated him. We had to put the line to a winch to crank him in. I always think a main objective while sailing is to stay as dry as possible.
 
#24 ·
Two things come to mind...

First, in Paulthober's story...why didn't the idiot take the sails down... if he had... the boat wouldn't have much headway in a puff.....and he wouldn't of ended up chasing it. Unfortunately, stupidity isn't curable.

Second, PaulK's story reminds me of a story that Tania Aebi wrote about... where the owner of a boat she was the delivery captain of decided to take a swim in the middle of the ocean... he found it was so refreshing, that he dived off the bow a second time...swam around the boat and climbed up the swim ladder. About six seconds after he got out of the water, a sixteen-foot-long shark hit the hull just below the swim platform.

I would have to agree that the main objective is staying dry and on the boat.
 
#25 ·
:eek: The ultimate object is Not to fall overboard, this said things never go as intended. There was an article written some where on the web that addressed all the issues of falling over. I do sail single handed and have taken what I thought to be some good precautions to ensure my survival. After reading this article I've made some changes in my plans. I wish I knew wher i saw the article so I could post it here? But here are some high lites. I sail with my stern ladder down in the water other wise you'll never get back aboard the boat, the drag isn't that bad. I use to have about 50' of line tied to a fender and tow that behind just in case I went over I could grab this and pull myself to the boat. In dead calm water and the boat not moving this would work, according to the article, the boat traveling at 2 kts it would be hard to hold onto the line let alone pull yourself to the boat, at 5 kts forget it you'd last about 15 seconds on the line that is if to could hang on. They do recomend putting hand and foot loops about every 3- 4 feet or so. This way you can support yourself with your feet and hands. Always where a PFD and tether your self where ever you go above decks, alow just enough line to do what you have to so incase you do go over your not hanging on thside and being draged along. make sure you have a strobe lite on the vest. Just a few ideas I'll look for the whole article and post it here.:)
 
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