Jack stays and tethers are used too often in calm weather

[Adios]

It occurs to me that people using them in calm weather has had a negative unintended consequence. People want the convenience of jack stays running uninterrupted along the side decks and in calm weather you get the sense of security of a tether without much risk of going over anyway because its calm.

The problem is the tether needs to be long enough for you to get to the mast but then its not short enough to prevent going over. Even if you clip on at the mast you still need to get there.

If we only used tethers in extreme conditions we'd not be annoyed by the stay being inboard enough to prevent going over and needing a 3 clip tether and change over multiple times to get to the foredeck. All that is frankly too boring on a normal day hence side deck laid stays.

Its an over abundance of caution fail.

 

[Wansworth]

Personally I think the pilot service has the right. Idea proper hand holds at waist height to the mast and a tightened wire from the mast to the pulpit,safety before asthetics

 

[penfold]

Newer pilot boats have a slider rail from the cabin forward to the 'launch zone', rather like a genoa car track; even with a short tether you can move about freely.

 

[rogerthebodger]

I have solid safety lines along the edge of the deck which are waist high and a most pulpit/ hondrails around the front of the mast

If thinks are rough I crawl along the side deck and only stand if I am going to the mast and tie myself to the masst pulpit

 

[Stemar]

Jazzcat's handrail on the cabin top have a channel with a slider I can clip on to, which seems to me to be an ideal solution. It's long enough to get to the mast, but once there, I'll clip on to the spinnaker pole eye. I have a 3 point line, and whenever possible, use the shortest length. Clipped onto the handrail like that, I can't go swimming unless something breaks.

 

[geem]

Having a flush deck yacht, our jackstays run from stern to bow, inside the large granny bars. The tether has little impact on movement to and from the mast. I don't routinely wear a lifejacket in calm weather or windy weather during the day. At night, our rule is that the person on watch wears a lifejacket.
The tethers are fitted to the jackstays and the inboard end is hung on the mizzen forward lowers. If you have to step out of the cockpit, you hook on. We keep two tethers fitted like this on either side. The weather would have to be very bad for us to hook on in the cockpit. Something I think I have only done once

 

[Supertramp]

Having a flush deck yacht, our jackstays run from stern to bow, inside the large granny bars. The tether has little impact on movement to and from the mast. I don't routinely wear a lifejacket in calm weather or windy weather during the day. At night, our rule is that the person on watch wears a lifejacket.
The tethers are fitted to the jackstays and the inboard end is hung on the mizzen forward lowers. If you have to step out of the cockpit, you hook on. We keep two tethers fitted like this on either side. The weather would have to be very bad for us to hook on in the cockpit. Something I think I have only done once

Each boat is different but I like the idea of tethers kept at the place where they are needed. If its easy to use then it gets used. I like everything I need to hand rather than in lockers even though it adds clutter to the decks.

 

[MoodySabre]

I have them primarily for grandchildren going up front whilst underway.
Why does the OP need to give us a telling off for being cautious?

 

[oldharry]

It occurs to me that people using them in calm weather has had a negative unintended consequence. People want the convenience of jack stays running uninterrupted along the side decks and in calm weather you get the sense of security of a tether without much risk of going over anyway because its calm.

The problem is the tether needs to be long enough for you to get to the mast but then its not short enough to prevent going over. Even if you clip on at the mast you still need to get there.

If we only used tethers in extreme conditions we'd not be annoyed by the stay being inboard enough to prevent going over and needing a 3 clip tether and change over multiple times to get to the foredeck. All that is frankly too boring on a normal day hence side deck laid stays.

Its an over abundance of caution fail.

Would it not be true though that accidnets happen in bengin conditions as people are off their guard? In the Solent we have to contend with the shipping from Soton and Portsmouth, which can produce anything from a sudden deep swell, to a series of short steep waves on an otherwise calm day.

 

[capnsensible]

Practice. Practice. Practice......

 

[Adios]

Would it not be true though that accidnets happen in bengin conditions as people are off their guard? In the Solent we have to contend with the shipping from Soton and Portsmouth, which can produce anything from a sudden deep swell, to a series of short steep waves on an otherwise calm day.

Not doubting accidents can happen any time. But when it does happen you want your safety feature to be actually functional when you use it. We all know jack stays on most boats don't stop you exiting over the rail, we know this is a bit crap. I was just wondering how it came to be accepted practice on most boats.

If we only used them when really needed (according to our interpretation of that), we'd make them 100% functional. My guess is because instead people use them a lot when they aren't taking them very seriously or feeling they are really essential its accepted that they are not as functional as they could be.

And so we have people being towed along on their tethers. Which if solo must be about as depressing a slow death as I can imagine.

 

[Adios]

I have them primarily for grandchildren going up front whilst underway.
Why does the OP need to give us a telling off for being cautious?

Sounds ideal for small kids and very short people with very short tethers. No one is being told off, especially not "us".

 

[WannabePirate]

With a background in other adventure sports where falling is a big risk…it’s the number one rule of tethers that their primary purpose is to stop you falling off the thing, not to catch you if you do.

I’ve been genuinely constantly appalled at how widespread tethers which allow you to go over/under the guardrails are in yachting since I started.

 

[Adios]

With a background in other adventure sports where falling is a big risk…it’s the number one rule of tethers that their primary purpose is to stop you falling off the thing, not to catch you if you do.

I’ve been genuinely constantly appalled at how widespread tethers which allow you to go over/under the guardrails are in yachting since I started.

There seems to be a tendency to trust protocols and policies over thinking things through themselves. So people tick the box -"jack stays and tethers" and assume its all good. You come at it fresh without a preconception that its job done already and see that it looks a mess. If you raise concerns you'll probably be brushed off as "what do you know newbie".

Help is at hand. I just searched a bit and found some interesting articles you can share. The first one shows how dangerous it is to be tethered on when over the side. In summary if your crew isn't top notch and stops the boat in seconds you'd be dead and everyone wishing you weren't tethered on. Of course if the crew are that good they can come around just as quick and pick you up, so why tether at all. If you can still go over, all tethering has done is provided another way to die. It will have left the crew with the trauma of watching you die close up and feeling guilty because they didn't save you.

Is it safe to use a tether? - Practical Boat Owner

Here's a comprehensive article providing solutions How to stay on deck and avoid MOB - Yachting Monthly

Note the dates of the articles and how nearly every boat owner is still thinking outboard stays and tethers is a safety feature. I think that's at least partly explained by the original point of the post.

 

[Adios]

Note the dates of the articles and how nearly every boat owner is still thinking outboard stays and tethers is a safety feature.

That includes a MCA coded boat I was on recently

 

[Wansworth]

Not doubting accidents can happen any time. But when it does happen you want your safety feature to be actually functional when you use it. We all know jack stays on most boats don't stop you exiting over the rail, we know this is a bit crap. I was just wondering how it came to be accepted practice on most boats.

If we only used them when really needed (according to our interpretation of that), we'd make them 100% functional. My guess is because instead people use them a lot when they aren't taking them very seriously or feeling they are really essential its accepted that they are not as functional as they could be.

And so we have people being towed along on their tethers. Which if solo must be about as depressing a slow death as I can imagine.

Saw a vid we’re in sailor had a wire from the boom horse along the length of the boat to the pulpit amidship

 

[WannabePirate]

I like the look of hard grab rails with supports every 2-3ft to move past on the coach roof, with extra d rings in places and a centerline(ish) jacks ray running from mast forward

 

[Adios]

Saw a vid we’re in sailor had a wire from the boom horse along the length of the boat to the pulpit amidship

Thats pretty much what they said is the ideal set up further down in this article How to stay on deck and avoid MOB - Yachting Monthly

 

[Adios]

I like the look of hard grab rails with supports every 2-3ft to move past on the coach roof, with extra d rings in places and a centerline(ish) jacks ray running from mast forward

This whole thing needs a much more thorough effort to get right doesn't it. Considering most people are on-board with staying on-board its a surprise that this is an after thought for new owners to retro fit in any slapdash way they can be bothered to. But manufacturers probably rightly think no one will buy their sleek yacht if its covered in stainless warts and rails and webbing up the middle of the coach roof.

 

[Wansworth]

Modern yacht design seems to favour sleek low coachroofs like a wasteland till you can make it to the mast……..already said