A close shave

[dancrane]

The whole business of confined spaces makes me windy. I only had to lie on the foredeck and reach far forward into the 24" deep anchor locker to reinforce (in fact, rebuild) the out-of-sight forestay tang, but it was fairly horrible.

...a high pressure hose would not have helped. I "just" needed to clear out lots of heavy bits and pieces (stones, shells, washers, pieces of monel wire and cable ties)...

I think I would have tried a lot of duct-tape, sticky-side-out, on the business end of a boathook. If there's really a lot of muck down there, a scoop on the end of the stick could be contrived that would pick up handfuls of damp grit, gravel and oddments.

Anything beats risking getting wedged.
.

 

[Supertramp]

I have a "litterpicker" which is magnetic and strong enough to pick up a spanner. It is invaluable for retrieving things like bolts or screws from under the engine or bilge and is useful for wiping up drips and spills during engine servicing.

As with others here I have got wedged into various lockers and hidden areas but fortunately not for long.

 

[Supertramp]

Sorry, duplicate.

 

[thinwater]

A life jacket, at anchor? In fact, It's common to remove belts and other snag points when riggling into tight places. But yes, some jobs require a watcher.

The problem can be re-boarding. ISO and ABYC regulation require a ladder that can be deployed from the water, without help, with at least 2-feet under the water. If you do not have such a ladder, now you know why you need one. If you can't easily swim to a transom ladder and reboard, swimming classes are in order. I think most US sailors grew up swimming in the surf or surfing (warmer water), so we have a different relationship with swimming in waves.

 

[MontyMariner]

Makes me realise how lucky I am having a walk-in cockpit locker, it's also my workshop.