AntarcticPilot
Well-Known Member
My jackstays run to the forward end or the toe-rail, which is an aluminium extrusion forming part of the hull-topsides joint and perhaps the strongest point on the boat. Once clipped on to the jackstay, I have free movement everywhere forward of the cockpit; in fact better freedom of movement than was available with a longer safety line and the jackstays running along the toe-rail, as I then had to unclip to get round the shrouds. The least secure location is the foredeck, where the jackstay approaches and then terminates at the toe-rail, but the freeboard at that point is more than a metre from the toe-rail, and more than that from the top of the guard-rails and pushpit. I use an integrated harness and lifejacket (the newer compact style which fits higher on the chest), with an attachment point roughly at my breastbone and double crotch straps, so I can be reasonably sure that I will hang from it with my legs down; my centre of gravity is well below the attachment point. There is rarely any reason to be on the foredeck under-way - all my reefing lines, sheets and halliards come back to the cockpit; it is only when deploying my cruising chute that I need to be forward, and of course that only happens in benign conditions.
Oh, another factor is that neither my wife nor I are very tall - I am about 5'6 and my wife about 5'2. And I don't mean a metre as an exact measurement - I haven't measured them exactly, but they are around a metre long; perhaps 4' (sorry - mixed units!). Further, the jackstay runs at cabin top height for most of its length. And our freeboard is high - I've never measured it, but even amidships it must be a metre, and more at bow and stern. At the stern, when standing on the sugar scoop a few inches above the waterline, the deck/hull joint is at chest level.
None of this provides absolute security - there ain't no such thing. I don't rely on any of this working and observe the golden rule of one hand for the boat and one for myself; like a mountaineer, I try to have three points fixed at all times. But I have done my best to ensure that as far as practicable given my style of sailing and the design of the boat I have reduced the potential for an MOB as far as possible. It's also not a static thing; I am constantly on the lookout for ways to improve things; for example, last year I started to work on single-line reefing for my mainsail as the previous system didn't work well for single-handed or two-up sailing, requiring a hand at the mast and a hand working halliards in the cockpit. Not sure I've cracked that yet!
I realize that my style won't work for everyone - a racing crew or even a larger cruising crew would find it very limiting, and there would be a high likelihood of lifelines getting tangled etc. But as I sail single-handed or two-up mostly, it works fine for us. And given that I am sure that in our circumstances a MOB would have a very high chance of resulting in a fatality, it is something both my wife and I take very seriously and constantly look for ways to make it more secure.
