Singlehanding
- Thread starter PotomacDaysailer
- Start date
I feel the exact same way. I really don't feel that lines led aft are all that much of a "safety Feature" for the exact reason you state. If you go forward always, you KNOW where to hold on. And even with a tether, it's STILL one hand for the ship, one hand for you. Particularly offshore.
I DO have a jib down haul rigged aft to the mast.
I think there is a good reason for lines led aft on small boats less that 30'. The coach roof next to the mast is just too small of an area to get secure. I found that out in Chicago several years ago. We rented a J-30 and I had to go forward to raise the main and the genny. Maybe it was my surprise for not being used to the procedure or the sharp chop heading out of the harbor, but I nearly pitched off backward and I'm sure it would have been ugly if I had landed on the lifeline or deck. Luckily, I grabbed a handhold, but just barely.
It made me realize how much more secure the cockpit is then the coach roof on a smaller sailboat. When we go to Annapolis or Newport and take a tour on some of those nice large boats that are over 30', the wide flat spaces at the mast feel much more secure. The larger boats will have a much easier motion on a normal day than the smaller boats as well.
It made me realize how much more secure the cockpit is then the coach roof on a smaller sailboat. When we go to Annapolis or Newport and take a tour on some of those nice large boats that are over 30', the wide flat spaces at the mast feel much more secure. The larger boats will have a much easier motion on a normal day than the smaller boats as well.
Thanks very much for this link JSG. Andrew Evans provides a thorough (180pp) overview of all considerations in single handed sailing. A couple of the early ones not yet mentioned here are:
1. Leave the dock lines on the dock. I go out alone almost every time I sail on the Carquinez Strait and into San Pablo Bay, and until last week, I would take the dock lines away with me for some unknown reason. Then the bow lines needed to be stowed among other things to do while motoring into the wind to raise the main sail. It gets very choppy in the Strait with tide against the wind, and winds are stiff in this area in the summer. The only reason I had to leave the cockpit for the bow was to stow those lines and re-rig them outside the marina, and I've wondered what it would be like to pitch overboard and see the stern of my Surprise while bobbing in my pfd on the water as she steamed off under the Carquinez bridge, bound for Sonoma County.
2.Leave the fenders at the dock. So far all of my sailing has been day sailing, and I have extra fenders aboard anyway. They do not need to go along for the ride. Getting the bumpers on deck requires moving forward a bit, or a long reach from the cockpit, and they clutter the deck unless stowed. My marina doesn't provide much on the finger dock to attach fenders, but I'll be asking the office to put in some rings or something like that for hanging fenders at the dock (the rub strip on the dock leaves a mark on the hull so is not a substitute for real fenders when docking).
One more note before the advice for the bath: My main sail does not drop easily to the boom when the halyard is released, and pulling down the main is the other time I go forward on a sometimes pitching deck. I'll be working on that--it's my wife's biggest concern for my safety.
Thanks to all others for their comments on this topic! The advice is excellent. Of course, those who would not bother with PFDs in small lakes should always remember, you can drown in a bath tub! See THIS PHOTO (from Getty Images) for advice on bathtub safety....
You said:
Btw. for some reason the link you supplied (the Photo) requires some special credentials.
It should not be difficult to drop the main. If it does not slide well, the first thing is to check if you track is not bent, your slides are in good condition etc. Use some SailKote on the track; you would be surprised how much difference it can make (and how long it would last).
Btw. for some reason the link you supplied (the Photo) requires some special credentials.
Thanks very much for this link JSG. Andrew Evans provides a thorough (180pp) overview of all considerations in single handed sailing. A couple of the early ones not yet mentioned here are:
1. Leave the dock lines on the dock. I go out alone almost every time I sail on the Carquinez Strait and into San Pablo Bay, and until last week, I would take the dock lines away with me for some unknown reason. Then the bow lines needed to be stowed among other things to do while motoring into the wind to raise the main sail. It gets very choppy in the Strait with tide against the wind, and winds are stiff in this area in the summer. The only reason I had to leave the cockpit for the bow was to stow those lines and re-rig them outside the marina, and I've wondered what it would be like to pitch overboard and see the stern of my Surprise while bobbing in my pfd on the water as she steamed off under the Carquinez bridge, bound for Sonoma County.
2.Leave the fenders at the dock. So far all of my sailing has been day sailing, and I have extra fenders aboard anyway. They do not need to go along for the ride. Getting the bumpers on deck requires moving forward a bit, or a long reach from the cockpit, and they clutter the deck unless stowed. My marina doesn't provide much on the finger dock to attach fenders, but I'll be asking the office to put in some rings or something like that for hanging fenders at the dock (the rub strip on the dock leaves a mark on the hull so is not a substitute for real fenders when docking).
One more note before the advice for the bath: My main sail does not drop easily to the boom when the halyard is released, and pulling down the main is the other time I go forward on a sometimes pitching deck. I'll be working on that--it's my wife's biggest concern for my safety.
Thanks to all others for their comments on this topic! The advice is excellent. Of course, those who would not bother with PFDs in small lakes should always remember, you can drown in a bath tub! See THIS PHOTO (from Getty Images) for advice on bathtub safety....
For some of us procedures you mention are exactly opposite.
As a single hand trailer sailor that doesn't have a specific "dock" so to speak
I would not be doing most of those things. In fact its best to leave those things, amongst others, "rigged on the boat" as much as possible to be ready for strange docks or other events at a moments notice.
Being a trailer sailor we have two sets of lines: "launch/recovery" lines and "docking" lines.
Just sayin'
I carry two full sets also. but PART of my dock lines stay on the dock, and part stay on the boat. IF I'm going away for a longer period, say 2-3 weeks, I take them all. Otherwise, many stay on the dock.
And there was a LONG thread about this (dock lines)not too long ago
Hi all. This is my first post on this forum. Thanks for referring interested people to my tips book. The newest edition will actually be printed on real paper by the good folks at McGraw Hill. You can see it up on Amazon now, but it will hit the shelves at the end of September.
In the new edition you will find a couple of stories of people who fell off their boat with their tether on. They did indeed manage to get back on board, although it took some effort. One of the things that we thought of during my discussions with them was using spectra lifelines, rather than the normal wire. The reason is that the lifelines were a major impediment to getting back on the boat. We realized that spectra lifelines could be cut (OF COURSE YOU ARE CARRYING A KNIFE ON YOUR HARNESS) and then it would be easier to roll back on the boat.
I see several suggestions above about towing a line behind you, etc. Perhaps the most important thing I try to get across in my book is that whatever method you choose, it must be very easy to implement and it must be something that you do 100% of the time. If the method is an inconvenience, then by human nature you will not do it sometimes. Even a slight inconvenience is enough to cause you to not use it on nice days.
I can guarantee (almost) that you will NOT fall overboard in stormy seas when you are being extra careful. You WILL fall overboard on a nice day when you are just not paying attention for a half a second. The stories in my book confirm this. So I am not particularly impressed with anyone who says they only use countermeasures when the weather is rough.
I've gone singlehanding about 1,000 times so far. I'll even be out this afternoon. I wear my harness every single time. It's like my motorcycle helmet. I feel naked without it.
Have fun!
In the new edition you will find a couple of stories of people who fell off their boat with their tether on. They did indeed manage to get back on board, although it took some effort. One of the things that we thought of during my discussions with them was using spectra lifelines, rather than the normal wire. The reason is that the lifelines were a major impediment to getting back on the boat. We realized that spectra lifelines could be cut (OF COURSE YOU ARE CARRYING A KNIFE ON YOUR HARNESS) and then it would be easier to roll back on the boat.
I see several suggestions above about towing a line behind you, etc. Perhaps the most important thing I try to get across in my book is that whatever method you choose, it must be very easy to implement and it must be something that you do 100% of the time. If the method is an inconvenience, then by human nature you will not do it sometimes. Even a slight inconvenience is enough to cause you to not use it on nice days.
I can guarantee (almost) that you will NOT fall overboard in stormy seas when you are being extra careful. You WILL fall overboard on a nice day when you are just not paying attention for a half a second. The stories in my book confirm this. So I am not particularly impressed with anyone who says they only use countermeasures when the weather is rough.
I've gone singlehanding about 1,000 times so far. I'll even be out this afternoon. I wear my harness every single time. It's like my motorcycle helmet. I feel naked without it.
Have fun!
Thanks to JSG for adding the thumbnail.
Thanks for the comment Topcat. If you are trailering, you can't leave lines and fenders at the dock, but that is for reasons other than safety precautions for single handing. For safely single handing while on a day sail from a berth, the step of stowing the bow lines and the fenders while under way is unnecessary if the lines and fenders stay at the berth, and that reduces the risk of going overboard. I didn't take credit for the idea, which belongs to Foolish and his valuable treatise on single handing. These were welcome immediately useful recommendations from him. I repeated them to respond to PotomacDaySailor's original post.
Thanks again from me, Sir Foolish, for your most valuable book!