Are single handers wearing the wrong kit

On the tether and jackline issue, I have been reading a lot about this recently, including the advice on Thinwater's blog, plus practical sailor and Attainable Adventure Cruising.

I'm about to make up some custom tethers from dynamic climbing rope, climbing screwgate carabiners, and auto-locking devices such as the Kong Slyde (simple and cheap) or Petzl Connect Adjust (more pricey) which allow you to shorten and lengthen the tether to whatever situation you are in to keep you tight on the boat. Coupled with a centre jackline and fixed belay points near bow and stern then it should be possible to create a system that means you - in theory - will never have a tether long enough to go over the rails.
 
Tim O said:
On the tether and jackline issue, I have been reading a lot about this recently, including the advice on Thinwater's blog, plus practical sailor and Attainable Adventure Cruising.

I'm about to make up some custom tethers from dynamic climbing rope, climbing screwgate carabiners, and auto-locking devices such as the Kong Slyde (simple and cheap) or Petzl Connect Adjust (more pricey) which allow you to shorten and lengthen the tether to whatever situation you are in to keep you tight on the boat. Coupled with a centre jackline and fixed belay points near bow and stern then it should be possible to create a system that means you - in theory - will never have a tether long enough to go over the rails.
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Sounds good.

I particularly like the idea of an adjustable tether.
When I bought my harness. (LJ) the chandler didn't stock tethers. I made my own. Mine are simple, just three strand nylon rope with clips spliced on the ends. I adjust the length with a knot. I should replace them with proper fall prevention tethers.
 
I have a life jacket with a large pocket. In the pocket I carry a slim diving knife, vhf and a plb.

Most jack lines on small and medium sized boats (up to about 32 foot) are almost useless in my opinion, they are too close to the side of the boat. Even with a short tether they would not stop a person from going under the life lines. I have positioned a eye bolt centrally on the fore deck and strong soft shackles at the mast base and in the cockpit as tethering points. I spliced tethers at a length that will not go over the side when attached to these points. The down side of this approach is that I have to unhook and re-hook to move forward on deck but I think that is better than hooking on to a jack stay that gives a false sense of security.

This article in PBO prompted me to reasses my options: http://www.pbo.co.uk/seamanship/is-it-safe-to-use-a-tether-25125
 
That sounds like a great idea, to have an adjustable length of tether. The Petzl Connect Adjust looks perfect for climbers who need to adjust the length of their tether. I wonder if it will work if there isn't a constant load on the rope?

What I mean, is that if the mechanism relies on tension to hold the rope tight, at the desired length, then it might just become loose if the rope isn't tight. Which, I would suggest, is highly likely if you are stepping out of the cockpit and making your way forwards.

It does look wonderfully simple, which is always best. Tim O, have you tried it yet?

Giles
 
Tim O said:
On the tether and jackline issue, I have been reading a lot about this recently, including the advice on Thinwater's blog, plus practical sailor and Attainable Adventure Cruising.

I'm about to make up some custom tethers from dynamic climbing rope, climbing screwgate carabiners, and auto-locking devices such as the Kong Slyde (simple and cheap) or Petzl Connect Adjust (more pricey) which allow you to shorten and lengthen the tether to whatever situation you are in to keep you tight on the boat. Coupled with a centre jackline and fixed belay points near bow and stern then it should be possible to create a system that means you - in theory - will never have a tether long enough to go over the rails.
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I too am interested. Something we should all remember is that it makes no sense that there can be a one-size-fits-all answer when boats come in many shapes and sizes.

* I know we are all concerned about falling over the rail by the cabin, but other than a jibe with the chute up, does anyone know of a case where someone has fallen to windward? I have asked this question may times, and very few examples are sited. I think the occurrence is unspeakably rare. People fall to leeward, fore, or aft. But not up hill.
* If the lanyard is extended to 6 feet, how do you reach the end to adjust it? Standard operation only works up to arm's length, which is too short for most boats at least occasionally. Do you wear it reversed, with the adjuster at the chest?
* Do you add a spin shackle to the end for release under load, or is this not a concern? There are two schools of thought on this; I think it depends on the situation.
* Redundancy. You can't double clip because you have only one clip. On my last boat (catamaran) I would leave the long tether on the jackline to go to the mast, and then clip the second tether short to stabilize myself on the wide cabin roof. On my tri, when I go the the very skinny bow I leave the long tether on the jackline, which ends 5 feet aft. This keeps me from being thrown forward if (when) I stuff a wave. I then clip short to the pulpit. Often I crawl or scoot.
* Transfers. There will be times when you are not clipped. I don't think this is much of a hazard if done mindfully.
* The clips shown are not self-locking, like via ferrata clips (Kong Tango, ISC SH901 or 903). Much handier on a boat. (but not weak Gibb or hard-to-use old style Wichard.)

As for falling under the lifeline, if you believe that is a possibility, the solution is rather obvious, Isn't it? Add netting of a few cris-crossed lines. I've added a few thin lines near the bow for this reason. They also help retain sails.

Perhaps a little pricey, but check out the Wichard Proline. Very slick. I also like my 8 mm climbing rope dual tether with Tango and ISC clips. I don't know which I like better. I leave one on port and one on starboard.
 
There appears to be a some acceptance that if you go into the water where the water is cold survival times are short. Dry suits get little mention. There seems little point in wear a LJ if you are going to be found dead - all you do is ensure someone has to pay the funeral costs - why do dry suits only get passing mention when they would save going 'for a Burton'?

I confess we don't have a dry suit on board - but sea temperatures (out in the Tasman) are currently hovering slightly over 23 degrees (and warming as you go north) and warmer here in The Harbour or Pittwater.

Jonathan
 
* If the lanyard is extended to 6 feet, how do you reach the end to adjust it? Standard operation only works up to arm's length, which is too short for most boats at least occasionally. Do you wear it reversed, with the adjuster at the chest?
* Do you add a spin shackle to the end for release under load, or is this not a concern? There are two schools of thought on this; I think it depends on the situation.
* Redundancy. You can't double clip because you have only one clip. On my last boat (catamaran) I would leave the long tether on the jackline to go to the mast, and then clip the second tether short to stabilize myself on the wide cabin roof. On my tri, when I go the the very skinny bow I leave the long tether on the jackline, which ends 5 feet aft. This keeps me from being thrown forward if (when) I stuff a wave. I then clip short to the pulpit. Often I crawl or scoot.
* Transfers. There will be times when you are not clipped. I don't think this is much of a hazard if done mindfully.
* The clips shown are not self-locking, like via ferrata clips (Kong Tango, ISC SH901 or 903). Much handier on a boat. (but not weak Gibb or hard-to-use old style Wichard.)

Perhaps a little pricey, but check out the Wichard Proline. Very slick. I also like my 8 mm climbing rope dual tether with Tango and ISC clips. I don't know which I like better. I leave one on port and one on starboard.[/QUOTE]

Im thinking of having the adjuster at the chest end yes......not sure yet how easy a Kong Slyde will be to let out slack - might need two hands, whereas shortening seems to be easy using one looking at online videos.

As far as redundancy - yes I was thinking of having a second short tether for clipping to get past obstacles like mast etc. or for having two anchor points if you are working in one spot for a while -as you know from climbing, when belaying on a multipitch route ,you want a nice stable position where you can take a potential fall load from more than one direction without being pulled off your feet

regarding a quick release shackle?..I read your article where you seemed to favour screw-gate or similar Carabiners as they are more fail-safe.I might expereiment with both when i get round to it...the Kong Tangos look great!
 
Tim O said:
* If the lanyard is extended to 6 feet, how do you reach the end to adjust it? Standard operation only works up to arm's length, which is too short for most boats at least occasionally. Do you wear it reversed, with the adjuster at the chest?
* Do you add a spin shackle to the end for release under load, or is this not a concern? There are two schools of thought on this; I think it depends on the situation.
* Redundancy. You can't double clip because you have only one clip. On my last boat (catamaran) I would leave the long tether on the jackline to go to the mast, and then clip the second tether short to stabilize myself on the wide cabin roof. On my tri, when I go the the very skinny bow I leave the long tether on the jackline, which ends 5 feet aft. This keeps me from being thrown forward if (when) I stuff a wave. I then clip short to the pulpit. Often I crawl or scoot.
* Transfers. There will be times when you are not clipped. I don't think this is much of a hazard if done mindfully.
* The clips shown are not self-locking, like via ferrata clips (Kong Tango, ISC SH901 or 903). Much handier on a boat. (but not weak Gibb or hard-to-use old style Wichard.)

Perhaps a little pricey, but check out the Wichard Proline. Very slick. I also like my 8 mm climbing rope dual tether with Tango and ISC clips. I don't know which I like better. I leave one on port and one on starboard.
Click to expand...

Im thinking of having the adjuster at the chest end yes......not sure yet how easy a Kong Slyde will be to let out slack - might need two hands, whereas shortening seems to be easy using one looking at online videos.

As far as redundancy - yes I was thinking of having a second short tether for clipping to get past obstacles like mast etc. or for having two anchor points if you are working in one spot for a while -as you know from climbing, when belaying on a multipitch route ,you want a nice stable position where you can take a potential fall load from more than one direction without being pulled off your feet

regarding a quick release shackle?..I read your article where you seemed to favour screw-gate or similar Carabiners as they are more fail-safe.I might expereiment with both when i get round to it...the Kong Tangos look great![/QUOTE]

Much of my concern with safety snaps stemmed from an historic and personal mistrust of the Gibb/Spinlock style. This has been confirmed. However, the Kong, Wichard Proline, ISC, and several other via ferrata types have been tested to be quite safe. I also liked the light weight of the screw-lock style. For certain purposes, I like their unquestioned security. Finally, they suited the SPECIFIC layout of my last boat very well. That said, on my new boat I have switched to several different styles of the fore mentioned via-ferrata-like snaps.

As for release-under-load at the chest, I think it depends on the sailing and the boat. On my last boat, I used non-releasable snaps because there is no scenario where I would want to release. The boat did not have a bow wave, I usually sailed solo, and I could keep the tether short. However, on my new boat, I am still deciding. There may be a few places I could fall off where release would be preferable. Bear in mind also, that US and Euro practices are different; tethers for the European market are generally non-releasable, while the version developed for the US market features a spinnaker shackle. I can make arguments for both approaches, but they each have exceptions. There are smart people on both sides of the fence.
 
I remember reading somewhere that the mechanism for death in cold water is a) cold shock within the first few moments or b) surviving cold shock, MOBs drown because the cold causes them to lose the dexterity to maintain their face clear of the water. A lifejacket gets my vote every time. Why? because you can fit a crotch strap, spray hood and have pockets for PLB and flare. Oh and it will keep my head further from the water than a PFD. A spray hood is much underrated - will keep the spray out of your mouth in any chop. PLB to raise the alarm, a day/night flare to make sure you're seen. Hopefully you won't be in the water for very long in coastal regions.
 
boomerangben said:
I remember reading somewhere that the mechanism for death in cold water is a) cold shock within the first few moments or b) surviving cold shock, MOBs drown because the cold causes them to lose the dexterity to maintain their face clear of the water. A lifejacket gets my vote every time. Why? because you can fit a crotch strap, spray hood and have pockets for PLB and flare. Oh and it will keep my head further from the water than a PFD. A spray hood is much underrated - will keep the spray out of your mouth in any chop. PLB to raise the alarm, a day/night flare to make sure you're seen. Hopefully you won't be in the water for very long in coastal regions.
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For the most part, the thread suggests either a manual inflate or second buoyancy aid. Neither of these are in conflict with any part of the later portion of what you said.

Regarding cold water, we're back to the dry suit. Without that, the solo sailor that is not tethered is dead plain and simple. Regarding being towed along side, the PDF is not going to help you keep your face clear. In fact, in seriously cold water your chances without a drysuit are not that good even if there is crew.

But what we're really talking about is the auto-inflate feature. I don't want it. And yes, I once plunged in 0C water in plain clothes. It was bad. I had to recover something that had been dropped.
 
thinwater said:
Since we are considering a 1-in-a-million outcome--and the body will still likely be lost--I think we can discard this consideration.
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I thought that they found the bodies of the crew of the Ozo ( spelling? )the boat allegedly run down by a ferry one night. Or at least they must have found the LJs because they commented on the absence of crotch straps leading to earlier deaths in the report
So whilst a life will be lost, there is no reason why the body should not be possible to find after a while in channel, N sea or coastal waters
There would certainly be a search once the boat turned up.
How long would one expect a decent LJ to keep a body , albeit a bit bloated, afloat?
 
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prv said:
He’s talking about a grab line to deploy the stern ladder at the mooring, after falling in from his dinghy. Very sensible since, anecdotally, that seems to be the number one cause of old men going overboard around yachts.

Pete
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From memory we had 2 deaths a few years ago in Sydney Harbour of mature men, respected yachtsmen, falling from their dinghies transiting to/from their yachts and drowning at night. This prompted the current legislation that if single handed and in company at night we must now wear LJs. Its slightly more complex if you are a long way from shore and/or have youngsters in the dinghy. Legislation has not yet caught up with SUP - and it is currently quite legal for you to drown using one anywhere without a LJ.

Jonathan
 
Several deaths in Ireland also getting from punt to boat... and this is one of the situations where a LJ and a waterproof hand held vhf or a flare or a plb combination would almost certainly result in rescue....

One of the things I am going to do this year is to fit a pair of cleats or u-bolts on the stern which can be reached from above and from the punt, to attach lines from the punt fore and aft, which will hold the punt accross the stern close in under the boarding ladder..
 
This is all very useful reading, and is helping me to come up with a plan. I have a dayboat moored on a river pontoon from which I slipped whilst single-handedly mooring. Dunno to this day how it happened, one moment on the aft deck deciding that the gap was too big and that I should drive the boat out and come back in again, the next moment hanging on to the cockpit coaming with the deck edge a few inches above nipple height. Freeboard is very low, but I couldn't quite get back on, being a bit weak with a dodgy heart. I couldn't hold that position for more than a few minutes, I very nearly succeeded in getting back on board using the spinnaker sheet/guy which was hanging in a catenary from shrouds to the back of the cockpit. Almost! I ended up floating but holding on by the sheet and shouting. Fortunately that worked and I got hoiked out by Paul Knight of the eponymous Bursledon Marine Electronics business. (He deserves every mention that I can give him). The Harbour Master turned up a few minutes later and dealt with the boat. Deep thanks were conveyed all round, several times.

My mobile was in my inner jacket pocket, drowned because I was only moving the boat from scrubbing and wasn't actually going out boating so hadn't put it in the waterproof case. My hh vhf with dsc was just out of reach in the cockpit, and my lifejacket (auto with hood and light) was in the car. Textbook muppet really. It was on the ebb getting late on a grey August Tuesday with very few boats about. The water was warm, and there was little chance of heart attack since I was already on beta blockers etc! Feeling relatively sanguine about my position I reckoned that I'd probably not get tangled with other boats and would drift out of the Hamble, whereupon I hoped the boat would be spotted before dark.

My answer to the lj question is that I wish I'd had it on. Yes, it would have been a complete nuisance in trying to get back onboard so I would have had to deflate it, but it would have then have been able to reinflate and have the confidence to let go of the boat and back stroke across the current to the bank - not an option without.

Hindsight. I felt really stupid. my outboard was on its bracket hanging over the other side of the boat. It probably would have provided enough of a step to climb up. Probably. I dismissed letting go and swimming just a few yard to moored boats because I couldn't know whether their boarding ladders would be free to drop or long enough for a fully-clothed me. What I hadn't spotted was that every river pontoon has a deep ladder fitted at each end!

You have given me an idea though. I do always have at least one halyard out at the deck edge on either side, and they're reachable from the water, so thinking about some sort of arrangement to attach climbing loops to those.
 
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