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Tahitibelle

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How do you solve this problem?
SCENARIO - It is early june 2012 - You are solo heading towards the Azores in a 25' sailing vessel - You are tired cold in your 60's + and wish you were a lot fitter - Sea state Rough -You are wearing oilskins, life jacket and a safety harness - You are clipped on but fall overboard still attached to the boat and are being towed along at 4 knots - You manage to grab a light line that you have been towing astern to knock off your wind vane self steering and the boat stops into the wind.
QUESTION - How do you get back on board? What gadgets or systems have you worked out to solve this problem, which could happen to any of us? - Nick
 
If I'm at the front I use the bobstay, or At the back I have the wind vain to climb up, also a safety ladder in a bag. If alongside I would clip my safety harness to the shrouds making a loop to help me step up.

One thing maybe to have a pulley attached to the boom gallows, to haul yourself back in.

But the main thing is to stay on the boat. I plan on running my lifelines along the coach roof so I cannot go overboard.

All theory, but it's best to have a plan before you need it.
 
In my humble opinion you'd have to be in a boat and a half to be 25 feet long towing a man over the side at 4 knots. On saying that I've never tried it which could be an idea!!!

Before the '2008' I wondered a similar thing and thought about testing it by jumping over the side whilst a friend was aboard with me using one of the Plastimo emergancy ladders I had tied on at the stern one port and one starboard.

In the end I didn't think it was a good idea to be doing this experiment off Harwich so opted for the 'jumping over the side version' whilst still on my mooring. Obviously it was nothing like doing the same off-shore or indeed mid ocean but I did surprise myself at how quickly I managed to get aboard again. That is of course if I fell the right side of the shrouds!!

I guess you'll appreciate more than most what other challenges are involved such as height of topsides, wave motion, your physical condition etc. I spoke to survival expert at the Boat Show one year. He said the biggest problem of falling over the side whilst on a harness tethered at the front was that as you were towed along you would be face down and drown yourself. Apparently, much better to attach your tether around the back of your shoulders so you are dragged face upwards. I expect his knowledge was based around larger and faster boats and I ended up tethering from the front of my harness.

On saying that the Plastimo collapsable ladders (ones that fold up into a bag with a velcro flap - not sure of correct name as they are in my loft at the moment!) did seem a good idea to me but you need to make sure you ge the version with more steps unless you've got time to practice yoga before you go.

Hope some of that is useful. It great to learn you are considering the 2012.
 
I have a stainless folding step on the transom, an aid but not ideal as even at waterline level it's difficult to get a foot to ( see photo ) and the admirably grippy surface is painful on bare feet for normal use; I'd be very tempted to fit small blocks on the rudder as steps ( assuming it's transom hung ! ) and put up with any tiny drag, if going for the Jester.

Further to Black Pig's suggestion of jackstays on the coachroof, I have harness eyes at the foot of the mast each side.

These have proven really handy, good and inboard - though I haven't tried going over the side - and on my Anderson 22 I can leave a standard harness line clipped to one and led aft, comes to the cockpit so I'm able to clip to it before going forward.

At the other extreme, literally, going forward clipped onto these eyes I'm just able to reach the stem comfortably.
 
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Mob retrieval on Sterenn

Bonjour
Sorry it will be a bit long !

First how did I organized life to try and stay on board.

First I lived day and night with my harness (expensive and comfortable).
There is a eye next to the compagnon way that allow to live inside and in the cockpit without un-clipping. There are 2 safety lines from the front of the cockpit to the prow on each side. (the safety lines should not go further back in order to keep in reach with the stern while dragged in the water. )
I used a double safety line with security clips and, of course, double clip before releasing a clip.
When possible, in rough weather, I was doubles clipped, while outside, in order to limit possible movements.

How to reach the stern if fallen overboard:

I wore, day and night the NKE MOB remote control that "stops" (or slow) the boat when not in touch with the inboard receiver (the Figaro is rather fast and, when you fall over board with the harness on, the shock is important- don't try at full speed you could heart yourself).
I had two other external (along the hull) safety lines from prow to stern (I copied the idea from French single handed). I wore day and night a sharpen knife around the neck. The, untested, planed procedure would be, especially if fallen in front of the shrouds, to clip the available harness line to the external safety line and to un-clip or cut the harness line connected to the deck safety line.
Then it would be possible to slide along the side to the stern.

How to climb back on board:
The Figaro has an open stern with a transom above. I had a rope ladder with aluminium steps, fixed to the transom, ready to use and reachable from the water. Three steps would be in the water. I tried that, in survival equipment, when I went for a bath, to check the keel, at Azores level.

Amicalement
Eric
 
At he end of the line.... like a hooked fish

Independence said:
I spoke to survival expert at the Boat Show one year. He said the biggest problem of falling over the side whilst on a harness tethered at the front was that as you were towed along you would be face down and drown yourself. Apparently, much better to attach your tether around the back of your shoulders so you are dragged face upwards. I expect his knowledge was based around larger and faster boats and I ended up tethering from the front of my harness.
Click to expand...

The tether around the back of your shoulders may be unreachable! It doesn't seem to be a good idea single handed.
Eric
 
The golden rule is never fall off! Even with a tether, it's a struggle to get back aboard and if the boat is trucking along at speed you'll probably drown anyway. Clipping on at the back of your harness isn't sensible - you won't drown, but neither will you be able to cut the line, so I guess it's hypothermia that'll get you! I always clip onto the windward side and my lifeline is the exact length that I can deal with something on the leeward side but there's no slack to allow me to go overboard, so the length of your tether is crucial. Likewise in the cockpit I remained clipped on as I enter or exit the companionway, and always clip on to the windward side jackstay. I do have to reclip from jackstay to cockpit eye before going down below, so there is a moment when I'm not clipped on. I don't tow a trip line for the self steering, because my boat sails in a straight line regardless, but in theory I can climb back aboard using the Hydrovane. I tested this in the Azores and it wasn't easy so I intend to fit some steps on the transom to help. Working at the bow, there is always the chance that you could go over on your normal length tether, so an additional short line to clip on to helps prevent that. The only problem I have encountered was when knocked aback in 40 knots, jib and main sheeted to windward (traveller sticks under load) and the next breaking wave knocked the boat flat before I could disconnect the Hydrovane - I needed a tiny bit more slack in my tether to reach the pin. A very large amount of water went down the companionway (and my neck) and for a moment I was airborne, but crucially I landed back IN the cockpit, so the theory of the above worked. Never forget, though, like mountaineering, there are times when it's bloody dangerous! And whilst you can't legislate against every eventuality, a modicum of common sense intelligently applied will usually see you through the worst. Wearing a lifejacket whilst singlehanding is rather pointless, it's unusual for anyone to be around to pick you up.....
 
Thank you Jesters - There is some usefull advice here. I particularly like the centre line midships jackstays and having the clip on point far enough forr'd to ensure one ends up within reach of the stern pulpit rather than being towed in the wake like a piece of shark bait.

Can we take this consultation process on and look at some other areas of hopefully mutual interest. i.e. JURY RIG (mast sails and rudder) MEDI KIT (what's in yours) BATTERY CHARGING. I will start it off - stop me if it boring you.
 
Tahitibelle said:
How do you solve this problem?
SCENARIO - It is early june 2012 - You are solo heading towards the Azores in a 25' sailing vessel - You are tired cold in your 60's + and wish you were a lot fitter - Sea state Rough -You are wearing oilskins, life jacket and a safety harness - You are clipped on but fall overboard still attached to the boat and are being towed along at 4 knots - You manage to grab a light line that you have been towing astern to knock off your wind vane self steering and the boat stops into the wind.
QUESTION - How do you get back on board? What gadgets or systems have you worked out to solve this problem, which could happen to any of us? - Nick
Click to expand...

Quite a few years ago a friend had a similar experience while singlehanding a 33 ft Westerly. I attended his funeral.

Since then I have rigged jackstays as close to the centre line as practical and used short tethers that stop me before I go over the side.
 
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