British sailor dies in round-the-world yacht race

Oct 22, 2014
20,992
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
why his tether didn't keep him on board
That is a relatively easy question to answer.. Most folks that use jacklines do not keep them short.. They run the length of the boat from stem to stern. They measure the tether by the length to stand up and move around. So your in the middle of the two tie points for the JackLine. You step back and reach the end of your tether, then you step back again and the JackLine starts to stretch. You continue stepping back till you have the JackLine taught. On a 20 foot JackLine there can be 3-4 feet maybe more from where the line the JackLine started add another 6 feet for the average tether and your off the boat. How many boats do you know are 20 feet wide? And that is if the JackLine is run down the middle of the boat.

You need to use jack lines that do not stretch and tethers that are short enough to keep you inside the lines when you put your weight agains the JackLine and tether. For me I run a single JackLine down the middle of the boat (11 feet beam) from cockpit to mast tied off and stretched tight, then another line on the centerline to the 2feet short of the bow. The tether is 4.5 foot long for the cockpit to the mast and the bow tether 3.5 feet long. When I lean back against the tether it holds me at the boats edge. Sure it is a pain when hooking the bow tether on then releasing the main tether to. Go to the bow, but it is secure and it is designed to keep me on the boat while solo.

So far so good.

I suspect on the race boat the tethers and jacklines are set for speed and convenience of the crew. They may be reviewing their setup in the future.
 
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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
He had 40 years coastal sailing experience. Not a round the world racing resume but not a complete noob.
One of the question they are looking at is why his tether didn't keep him on board.
My condolences to his family.
- Will (Dragonfly)
I'm pretty sure that their processes are solid based on the boat and what they are doing. It's different from a coastal family cruiser. The deal is that they still rely on the sailor being on the ball and doing the right thing. These people have little/no experence with that.
 
Jul 27, 2011
4,988
Bavaria 38E Alamitos Bay
He had 40 years coastal sailing experience.
Sorry--but to me this has little meaning. A boat owner of 40 yr who took a trip or two every other summer? Or, someone with 50 to 100 days of sea time per year for 40 yr? The other thing, racers in hot competition are putting up, or leaving up, sail that a prudent mariner would be taking in under the same conditions, in my observations. I doubt casual coastal cruising prepares one for a race in the Southern Ocean with someone who is likely to be pushing the boat to its performance limits nearly all of the time. And a sixty-year old crew member is most likely just too old to cut the muster any more. Forgive me--not to be light; I feel condolences as well are in order.
 
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Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
I'm afraid I don't know exactly how the pay-to-play racing process goes but, ous money the only criteria? Is it otherwise a first-come-first-serve basis or is there a being process too? Considering all the money involved in entering a boat and committing to promotion, etc. Is it still expensive enough for the sponsor that they want a crew that could win the race?
I knew a guy who was 100 years old and as mentally there as anyone. He stood straight and tall and walked with energy, drove, played golf very well. His handshake was rock solid. I'm not saying he could be in that race, just that an age like 60 doesn't mean the same for one person as it does for another.
On the other hand, if you can buy yourself a spot on the crew with nothing more than money, it's kind of amazing this doesn't happen more often.
- Will (Dragonfly)
 
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Oct 26, 2008
6,043
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
I don't buy into any controversy over this race. Pay-to-play is common practice in all adventure activities. How is it any different than climbers on Mt. Everest (which has claimed far more lives, BTW). It appears that this is the 3rd death in 20 years. Granted, 1 each year in the past 3 years is something to look into.

Everybody in this event has joined of their own free will and nobody is blind regarding the experience level of fellow crew and/or the consequences. At age 60, I'm not buying that age is a factor in this case. I don't think we need to glorify professional sailboat racers by denigrating amateurs. I may be a little jealous that I don't have the time and money to enter something like this - I'd certainly consider doing something like this if I could. I'm not buying it that these folks don't have the experience, energy, and ability to do this venture after the training on the boats that goes into it. The background of these sailors appears perfectly suitable to me.

Did anybody ever watch "White Squall"? How was that any different? For centuries, men went to sea without any experience, and many had to learn fast or die. Countless men have died at sea. We all have romantic notions about those days of yore in the age of sail, don't we?

Everybody enters these things of their own free will. I have no notion that it has to be any different.
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
For centuries, men went to sea without any experience, and many had to learn fast or die. Countless men have died at sea.
That includes sailors with years of experience, who could stack their knowledge up against anyone. It does seem more likely that the inexperienced guy is going to get it, however. It is easy to say, "he had no business being where he was, as evidenced by the outcome." That could be said in every case.
It is a question worth throwing around, though.
- Will (Dragonfly)
 
May 17, 2004
5,028
Beneteau Oceanis 37 Havre de Grace
Pay-to-play is common practice in all adventure activities. How is it any different than climbers on Mt. Everes
I don’t have a problem with the pay-to-play scheme either. The participants all make their own decisions on the risk and what they want to accomplish. But I do think it’s important to remember that a pay-to-play race isn’t going to be a competition among the best sailors. For that reason as a spectator event it doesn’t interest me.
 

SG

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Feb 11, 2017
1,670
J/Boat J/160 Annapolis
A few points:
At 20 knots, in one minute you have moved 2,000 feet or 1/3 of a nautical mile.

When our boat is doing 9 or 10 knots, if you throw a paper towel over the side on a sunny day, it seems to disappear very quickly -- that's not in rough seas in the Southern Ocean.

It's would seem to me that he was dragged without being noticed or he was separated from the boat. I'd like to understand more about the circumstances surrounding the incident, the reaction of the crew, and what really happened.

IF (in caps, on purpose), he was separated from the boat in rough seas, in low or no light, at speed -- then getting him back on board was a significant feat in my opinion. It's possible to drown in 6' waves with the life jacket on in Long Island sound in the Summer! That's without the reality that being thrown overboard doesn't mean you got a 9.6 in a diving contest -- you are likely to hurt by the mechanics. (If you've ever flipped-off of water skis on a boat going 15 knots, you remember the simple act of unexpectedly slamming into the water. Imagine doing that through a bunch of "fencing" and rigging in the middle of that dark and stormy...

Anyway, I don't sense recklessness beyond the mere act of doing what they were doing as sailors. That seems reckless, from where we sit in the comfort of our warm and dry homes.... ;^)))

Doesn't seem like he was a rookie...
 
Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
A 60 year old guy, being dragged behind the boat for more than half an hour...
I can't imagine a good outcome from that.

I do have to wonder a little about the way that harnesses are designed when I think about getting dragged behind the boat for a long time like that. All of the sailing harnesses that I have seen, always clip in from the front, & as such would always drag you face first in the water. Might it be better to have the tether ring in the back? That way, when you are getting dragged, you still have a chance to breathe.

This incident sort of highlights the value of quick release hooks & web knives.
 

SG

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Feb 11, 2017
1,670
J/Boat J/160 Annapolis
I read another British Newspaper article. Apparently he was involved in a sail change on deck. He was supposedly snapped in with tethers, but somehow was thrown overboard.

They are supposedly going to "investigate" what happened:
  1. Did the tether break;
  2. Did the shackle to the tether break;
  3. Did, as some of us have occasionally done [and shouldn't], you release the clip because you can't get to what you "need to"; or,
  4. Did one of the tether ends come loose from the cleat or strong point?
I failed to mention, though I'm not sure its applicable here:
Some suggest that the jacklines should have no stretch. There isn't a perfect solution with harnesses. In the real world on a sailboat you aren't just "dropped" 6' vertically with only your crotch, hips, chest, and armpits taking a distributed "BANG". You are likely to be in at best, a very awkward position (aside for emotionally). The shock loads of a jackline that can't stretch, like a hi-tech non-stretch line or stainless steel cable (w/ or w/out vinly cover) would only make things a lot worse.

In a climbing situation, the line has stretch (though the distance a climber might fall is greater before the line goes "taught").

I don't know the perfect mix myself. We have jacklines which are 1" flat straps which have some stretch by virtue of their "weave". They stretch when wet, and shrink when they dry out, etc. I've trusted but never tested them in the extreme. I wash them, keep them out of the sun, except when used, and inspect them before each passage when I deploy them.
 
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