Not falling Overboard

^^ I'm still confused. If it pulls the tiller hard over (maybe I have this wrong) the boat will not go head to wind, it will tack and keep going in some direction. It might jibe, depending on the sails up. But it will not be head to wind or hove to. You might be able to pull yourself up to a slow or small boat.

Or maybe I'm not understanding.

This is why I ask "how did it work?"
 
thinwater said:
^^ I'm still confused. If it pulls the tiller hard over (maybe I have this wrong) the boat will not go head to wind, it will tack and keep going in some direction. It might jibe, depending on the sails up. But it will not be head to wind or hove to. You might be able to pull yourself up to a slow or small boat.
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A mate tells a story of falling overboard from a dinghy whilst on a beach holiday, which then sailied off before pulling off a few smart tacks and gybes. It can back about ten minutes later and he was able to climb back on board.

His girlfriend was on the shore and was apparently really impressed with his smart tacks and gybes, but he had to confess he wasn't involved in them.
 
I remember holding on to the mainsheet and tiller extension of a Prindle 18-2 when the trap line broke. And I wasn't doing any 7 knots either! I believe I would have lost the sheet if it had not been a loop (the end is tied to the boat).
 
Allan said:
This is a very interesting thread, long may it continue! One thing I don't think has been mentioned. On most yachts, once in front of the sprayhood, one can hold the hand rails on the coachroof or the mast rigging etc. It is either side of the sprayhood that worries me most. We're considering fitting handles though holes in the canvas and bolted to the frame.
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Do it! I'd a sprayhood made up not so long ago with handrails added, really good. Great for getting on and off the dinghy as well if that's where you board.

hood-gal-3-800x600.jpg
 
thinwater said:
I remember holding on to the mainsheet and tiller extension of a Prindle 18-2 when the trap line broke. And I wasn't doing any 7 knots either! I believe I would have lost the sheet if it had not been a loop (the end is tied to the boat).
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Yes, I have had similar experiences on racing dinghies. The force almost pulls your arm off when you hit the water! To do this an a yacht is perhaps slightly better than nothing, but really just a placebo.
 
GHA said:
Do it! I'd a sprayhood made up not so long ago with handrails added, really good. Great for getting on and off the dinghy as well if that's where you board.

hood-gal-3-800x600.jpg
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Exactly. Installing a spray hood (in the US these are "dodgers") without hand rails is just nuts.

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Does ANYONE have any ancedotes of people falling off the side decks to windward when walking by (not working)? Or off falling to windward (up-hill) any time other than a jibe or working a symetrical chute?

From what I know, as scary as that narrow passage can be, people don't actually fall off from there, while traveling. People fall off when they stop to work, are not holding on, and are not watching for waves.
 
GHA said:
Do it! I'd a sprayhood made up not so long ago with handrails added, really good. Great for getting on and off the dinghy as well if that's where you board.

hood-gal-3-800x600.jpg
Click to expand...

That's pretty close to our idea, thank you. Do you have any close up pictures of the fittings used?
Allan
 
Allan said:
This is a very interesting thread, long may it continue! One thing I don't think has been mentioned. On most yachts, once in front of the sprayhood, one can hold the hand rails on the coachroof or the mast rigging etc. It is either side of the sprayhood that worries me most. We're considering fitting handles though holes in the canvas and bolted to the frame.
If I buy another small yacht for single handing, I plan to put central jackstays with tethers left attached. I can then attach one to my harness if I need to go forward.
My last boat had a wind powered generator on a strong pole on the stern quarter, which made life safe for peeing over the side.
Allan
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A solid 3 ft high lifeline made of stainless boiler tubing ,does the trick, far better than a springy wire lifeline.
 
solent clown said:
what do you mean by solid lifeline, a solid tube or rod rather than a wire? that sounds like a good idea
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Yes , 3/4 inch sch 40 stainless pipe . Cheap in scrapyards. If you are welding it on pre-existing stanchions pre-bend it . If you spring it , the heat of the weld will cause it to kink at each stanchion, unless you only put a half inch of weld on each time, and let that one cool completely , before putting another weld next to it. Weld shrinkage will hump the top rail at each stanchion . That can be rectified by prying it up on each side of the stanchion with a 2x4 as a fulcrum, and another 2x4 as a pry bar, and a good eye giving directions.
 
GHA said:
Do it! I'd a sprayhood made up not so long ago with handrails added, really good. Great for getting on and off the dinghy as well if that's where you board.

hood-gal-3-800x600.jpg
Click to expand...

Most of these spray hoods are never taken down, and end up getting replaced by solid ones, eventually. The number of abandoned plastic boats on beaches gives one a good supply of free sheet fibreglass to make a stitch and glue one out of . You get it with a nice gel coat already on it . You can build up the corners on the inside, and round them off from the outside .
 
Stay at home, don’t go sailing, the safest job is the one you don’t do.
 
The harness should have one long and one short tether which is used on deck so you can't go over the guard rails the long one is to put around the mast when reefing or vice versa, plus a U-bolt in the cockpit and jackstays. We clipped on in bad weathers and always at night. Going forward to change the mainsail I went on my hands and knees in bad weather.
 
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