Supertramp
Well-known member
Avoiding going on deck, not going on the leeward side and reassessing a particular situation to review what's needed are all sensible. There are occasions, often at the limit or beyond previous experience, when you need to act and do something on deck. It could be that someone forgot to lash the anchor down, pole needs unrigged, storm sail needs set or in my case gybe preventer needs released. You don't want to be inventing procedures, looking for hardware and trying stuff for the first time when that happens. Hardware is very useful if it stops the escalation of a simple incident into a more serious one. And established, practiced, procedures for deck work which are used well before they become necessary. Each boat, and it's skipper's risk tolerance, is different.On the windward side of the yacht that's quite an achievement. I feel that most people getting washed under a guard wire didn't fully think through why they needed to go forward while sailing on the leward side of the boat without heaving to. Or they're racing and prioritised results over living.
Personally I feel that anyone relying on hardware to save them is going to come a cropper eventually. Good practice, practice, and thinking through the safety of the situation will get you 99% of the way there. My boat has lines the length of the boat and I use a relatively long tether despite being on my knees and holding on to various handholds on the way. I'm always on the windward side though so my tether is to prevent me falling further than the middle of the boat rather than over the rail.