To cut or not to cut, that is the question

[Ilenart]

Originally Posted by Omatako

Even if there was another winch handy it would take longer to rig the jammed halyard to it to pull the overwind free that it did to fetch a knife. My suggestion is that a jammed winch should be cleared immediately and not left until it becomes a crisis.

Please don't see this as criticism, it's just an observation that I would have made on my own boat. If the sail was going to flog itself to death in 45 seconds from getting a halyard jam, perhaps the over-riding wisdom asks whether the sail should have been deployed at all.

At the end of it I guess I'm suggesting that constant and vigilant seamanship (other than a handy knife) ought to keep me free of crises. Safety anywhere is a proactive business, not reactive. The ability to identify possible crisis-forming situations is a key behaviour in my sailing life. I always try to ensure that all lines are free to run (the reason why I never over-lock lines on cleats), sails are ready to deploy when motoring, anchors are ready to deploy in dodgy shoreside conditions and so on.

Perhaps this is why I've never needed a knife in my pocket. The examples quoted in this thread where knives saved the day will probably catch up with me someday but I'm just not in the habit and getting into it is like giving up smoking. I've done it many times.

No worries

Ilenart

[hellosailor]

"Safety anywhere is a proactive business, not reactive."
An interesting thought, that makes no provision for the concept of "**** happens".

The only way to be safe from all possible marine incidents, is to stay ashore.

[Cruisingdad]

Yes, always... though I would not qualify it as real sharp. But thrown overboard, I bet it would go through a line in a second or two.

EDIT:

Let me qualify this: Our inflateables have a strobe light and knife attached to each one, including the knife in the cockpit. If I feel it is important enough to put on the jacket, then I have a knife. Same with Kris. So, I guess I may have to change my answer a bit.

- CD

[Omatako]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

An interesting thought, that makes no provision for the concept of "**** happens".

The only way to be safe from all possible marine incidents, is to stay ashore.

Yes I agree with both statements but if one allows the paranoia of "**** happens" to rule then one would probably need to permanently wear a fully kitted tradie's tool belt. A knife on it's own won't cut it (excuse the pun).

[St Anna]

Reading this thread, its seems to be pretty emotive (a bit like the arms debate). I dont get why some people wish to carry more than one knife (at least one = more than one).

My 2cents worth (and I know there is no such thing as 2 cents any more) is like cruising dad's. We have a knife -an open blade on a tether as well as a strobe on the inflatable life jacket. A knife was in the cockpit and another at the mast.

I think the situation of needing a knife has a y = mx +c where m = skippers experience/ability and c = chance. (I know -I need to get out more and am suffering cabin fever).

When we were traveling I worked out that we were probably only traveling about 3% of the time, the rest at anchor somewhere. So if you never use the knife, it will blunt or rust - so keep an eye on it.

cheers
DC