Single handing

[sailingdog]

Originally Posted by SoOkay

Here is what we do:

1. tether to windward
2. use schackle that will "quick release" under full load on thether
3. We use Mustang Type 5 with the intedgrated harness
4. have whistle and strobe tied inside vest
5. trail 150 ft or so of buoyant line off stern

The next step would involve a small handheld VHF and small EPIRB

Harry

I hope you're using a release-proof snap hook on the boat side, and a snap shackle on the body side of the tether.

I also hope you have knots or something in the line you're trailing. A bare rope is very difficult to hold onto at any speed.

You should also have a knife on every vest or harness as a precaution.

[SoOkay]

Sailingdog
those are good points, perhaps I should ahve been a bit more detailed.

[gabachojefe]

I'm a true greenhorn when it comes to sailing, but this whole tethering business sounds too much like being keelhauled to my mind. I think I'll take the route of trying to make sure to stay on the *(#%$ boat...

[SoOkay]

gabachojefe

Your unfamiliarity with the topic may lead you to make a bad choice. Simpleset way to tether is to run a line from your stern cleat to bow ones on both sides of your boat. Then you snap a tether from that line to yourself. Most tethers are elastic, with quick release schackles at the user end designed to be released with one hand easily, even under a full load. Many lifejackets have built in harnesses that the tethers will clip into.

Although I may not want to be tied to a small boat inside a bay, I would say it is standard practice to do this in heavy seas, or if alone in cockpit out in the ocean (especially during night watches). It is the best way "to make sure to stay on the *(#%$ boat..."

Harry

[FrankLanger]

Harry, as you sound quite knowledgeable on this issue, and I'm not (have lake sailed alot, but new to coastal cruising), could one achieve a reasonable solution by running a line from bow to stern cleat, and tieing another line around one's waist with a shackle to attach to the bow/stern line?
Reason for my question is that my wife and I will be "fair weather" sailors for the most part for the next few years, doing only coastal cruising (BC Gulf Islands, some Strait of Georgia), and don't expect to be in rough ocean conditions; however, if we should get caught out in that, we do have automatically inflatable life vests, and I am contemplating the simple system mentioned above as added security, unless it's a bad idea for some reason.
Thanks for any comments/advice from you, or any others.
Frank.

[SoOkay]

Frank,

I can only speak from my own experience, but I see one problem with your proposed solution. If you need to detach in a hurry you will not be able to. It is possible that if you go overboard the force of the current around the hull will force you underwater, a would be rescuer may or may not have the strength to pull you out against the current. With a quick release snap, you can detach yourself and save your life.

Here is a link to the type we use:
http://www.landfallnavigation.com/swt09.html

You'd attach the "yellow" end to the boats jackline, and the quick release end to yourself. BTW, tie to the windward side as a rule of thumb.

Some boats have specific points designed to attach jacklines, ours doesn't so we tie jacklines from bow cleat to stern cleat, one down either side of the boat. The disadvantage that gives us is the jackline runs a bit farther aft than I would recomend as an ideal solution.

One last point. there are specific lines manufactured for use as jacklines. Although not necessary, their practical advantage is since they are flat, it is easier to walk on them and not trip., these are the ones I've seen:

http://www.landfallnavigation.com/wichardjack.html

I hope this reply makes sense.

Harry

[FrankLanger]

Thanks, Harry, for your very helpful reply.
Frank.

[gabachojefe]

Thanks, Harry. Makes a bit more sense to me now.

Another beginner's question (feel free to yell at me and send me to a different forum): why an inflatable (automatic or otherwise) PFD versus a, um, noninflatable (?) one?

[sailortjk1]

I know your supposed to have an emergency release on your tether, but I just can't imagine ever pulling the release. I think I would be like the guy from the original post, still attached and the boat on the beach. (Me dead of course)

[SteveCox]

Comfort mostly. If you wear a normal PFD that has sufficient buoyancy and will turn you upright it will most likely be so uncomfortable that you will take it off and never wear it again. It is also so bulky that you cannot get anything done while wearing it. An inflatable gives you the best of both worlds. The ability to be comfortable and have the agility to work on the foredeck while having the safety of always wearing your PFD.