Have to admit I didn't notice the lake part til way into the thread. Since the vast bulk of my sailing is in much bigger water, I offered what I do.
But I must agree with you- makes sense.
I would STILL recommend the PFD for a single hander.
All good... jacklines are somewhat of a nuisance on a small boat.... What may work better is to locate a padeye on the foredeck as a tether point that will give you movement to the stemhead, and back so you can disconnect and clip on to an upwind shroud. From the shroud back to the cockpit you might be able to find another point so you can stay on the upwind side back to the cockpit.Thanks for the replies!
Here's my plan based on the good advice:
- Rig a jib downhaul. I hadn't thought of that, although in hind sight it seems rather obvious.
- Get in the habit of wearing a life jacket, at least when outside the cockpit or in heavy weather.
- Instruct passengers on stopping the boat.
Also I might experiment with some sort of jackline - maybe a line from the bow cleat to the base of the mast and six feet or so of line with a carabiner that I could clip to my belt? Just to keep from going into the water if I lose my footing on the foredeck. What do you all think? Does that sound practical and not too elaborate?
Yeah, I was thinking along those "lines" (pun intended) too. My Pearson has a dearth of deck hardware - a single block for (I'm guessing here) spinnaker pole downhaul - but there's the lifelines, at least, and the bow pulpit.All good... jacklines are somewhat of a nuisance on a small boat.... What may work better is to locate a padeye on the foredeck as a tether point that will give you movement to the stemhead, and back so you can disconnect and clip on to an upwind shroud. From the shroud back to the cockpit you might be able to find another point so you can stay on the upwind side back to the cockpit.
There are double tether harnesses... one long, one short... that are ideal for this method of staging yourself forward and back.
I rigged jacklines on my 27 footer for a number of years... but found enough fixed points on the boat that I quit setting them up for anything but a multiday cruise. I use the foreguy pad eye on the foredeck if I must go forward to change a sail....
I also have a set of knee pads... because I will crawls or slide on my butt if it feels unstable walking on the fore deck.
True. The boat heaves-to beautifully.Oh... don't forget that "heaving to" will give you some calm time to fix something, change something or just get your fishing line wet.
I did install a "tiller-tamer". It is just a clamp, basically, with a line through it to either side of the cockpit. There's knob to tighten the clamp and hold the tiller in place. You can then loosen the knob and make small adjustments to the tiller position without uncleating the line. It works pretty well and will keep the boat on course for a short time, long enough to do most tasks....
Was it Sru who mentioned a tiller minder? A simple line attached to the tiller so that you can let go for a while. A furler jib would really make your life easier, neh? Not to expensive eithor.
Wow, thanks for mentioning that, because that is exactly what I would have done!The down haul on the jib is an excellent idea.
Couple of points. DON'T attach it to the halyard or very top of the jib. If you attach it there, when you pull on it it tends to flop the head board over and bind the top jib hank. Better to attach it to the first hank down from the top.
Sounds like the voice of experience! I shall heed your advice.And don't run it through all the hanks-- that just causes immense friction. A better idea is to seize one or two rings to hanks , say at the thirds points on the luff, and run the downhaul through them. Does the same thing, but with far less friction
Yes, I avoid leaving the cockpit with the motor on....
I would never consider going up on deck while motoring without someone actually at the tiller. I figured too many things could happen including being tossed over and run over by the prop.
You could probably run that (or another line) on a breakcord set to disengage the tiller pilot's ram from the tiller.One thing i do when sailing alone is i toss out a ski rope secured to a cleat and let it trail along behind the boat. It floats and if you would happen to go overboard you have about 100' to grab the line. It has a built in handle at the end and your body weight will put alot of drag on your boat and slow you down. Get a auto inflating life jacket and you wont even know you are wearing one. Just be sure you pull your ski rope in before starting the iron jenny!
I did consider it. Only thing is, the lake can get quite busy and a powerboat blasting by < 100' astern, while not common, is a definite hazard. When it's just me out there, though, I'll do it.One thing i do when sailing alone is i toss out a ski rope secured to a cleat and let it trail along behind the boat. It floats and if you would happen to go overboard you have about 100' to grab the line. It has a built in handle at the end and your body weight will put alot of drag on your boat and slow you down. Get a auto inflating life jacket and you wont even know you are wearing one. Just be sure you pull your ski rope in before starting the iron jenny!
Those 20 seconds should seem like an eternity.I did consider it. Only thing is, the lake can get quite busy and a powerboat blasting by < 100' astern, while not common, is a definite hazard. When it's just me out there, though, I'll do it.
Gotta be quick, though. At 3 kn you've got 20 seconds before the boat is 100' away.