Seajet
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Yup I have a double hook harness line, great for posing but surprisingly little help on deck !
Overboard when single handed sailing
- Thread starter Daydream believer
- Start date
Daydream believer
Well-Known Member
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Frersfanatic
Member
I have a gas sprung boom vang and so the topping lift is redundant. I regularly use the topping lift as a quick safety line to clip on while going forward. It has the advantage that t's impossible to fall down and overboard and you could probably even swing down the leeward side in order to reach the foredeck more quickly! It also gives you something to grab onto and it doesn't get under your feet - so far I haven't experienced any disadvantages but I'm sure there are some theoretical ones forumites could point out to me!
Seajet
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Has your boat got spreaders, or is the TL slack enough to let you to the foredeck, in which case let you overboard too I'd have thought ?
Top Tip, always have a waterproof camera on you, may as well go for ' posthumous photographer of the year ' !
Top Tip, always have a waterproof camera on you, may as well go for ' posthumous photographer of the year ' !
Daydream believer
Well-Known Member
I
That is an interesting piece of lateral thinking. Apart from strength of the line and how it is fixed at the end i might wonder what might happen if the boat gybed whilst you were going forward. Presumably one goes outside the shrouds when going forward and you can flick the topping lift past the shroud ends so that should not be a problem
That is an interesting piece of lateral thinking. Apart from strength of the line and how it is fixed at the end i might wonder what might happen if the boat gybed whilst you were going forward. Presumably one goes outside the shrouds when going forward and you can flick the topping lift past the shroud ends so that should not be a problem
Frersfanatic
Member
Well most of the time I just need to get to the mast so its fine to keep the topping lift behind the spreaders...actually also the case for ventures onto the foredeck but yes I can flick it past the spreaders if required. The topping lift was specified with extra length in order to recover a MOB so it reaches the waterline at the aft quarter so more than enough slack to go forward. The line is easily strong enough and I attach it with "soft shackle". Hadn't really thought of the problem of a gybe because the topping lift is no longer attached to the boom and is forward of it. Worst case scenario and the autopilot power cut out and a gybe occurred it I guess I would just be left wincing at the noise. However, when sailing downwind I pretty much always attach a gybe preventer because the swept spreaders means the main can be twitchy on a run...
Daydream believer
Well-Known Member
So when not in use where do you stow it?
On the backstay comes to mind
On the backstay comes to mind
Frersfanatic
Member
It clips onto the end of the boom like normal...if I didn't have the gas spring it would be needed to hold the boom up when the main sail was down....
Daydream believer
Well-Known Member
So if you are on a reach in windy weather how can you hook on to it when it is out on the end of the boom?
DannyB
Well-Known Member
I've just seen an Etap in the marina which has jack stays on the side decks, and also a line rigged through the pulpit and around the outside of the guard rail at stantion base level, back through the pushpit rail. I've no idea what it's for but I'm wondering if it's somebody's idea for getting to the back of the boat if you go overboard at the bow. Whether you could transfer your line from the jackstay to the outboard rope, I have no idea.
Frersfanatic
Member
Well unfortunately most of my sailing has been bashing to windward this season but I could easily stow the TL on an aft cleat or or guard rail. Incidentally I dried out the other day and standing on the dinghy with my fee at what would have been waterline height it was impossible to pull myself up onboard. I didn't want to go around the aft as it would have meant muddy boots. Luckily there was a scrap of bow line I could grab hold of to make a foothold...but otherwise impossible!
Daydream believer
Well-Known Member
I now have that set up. My line starts from about 8 feet from the bow & goes to the stern. It hangs just above the water. Idea os , if i go overboard, i have something to grab & to try & stop the bouncing about from being dragged along.. I have another hook on a 150mm dynema line which i would try to hook to the line. I have a spinlock harness cuttter to then cut the harness. I would then slide rapidly aft where i have a loop that i can use as a step to get onto the stern with. The line at the side is tensioned with a cable tie which would snap allowing the line to form a loop aft. The end of this line os alongside my Aeries steering so i would also have some metalwork to grab as well to give hand holds