Solo overboard
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I think this system makes the most sense. I've often thought that a jackline that allows you to go overboard is too much of a hindrance for recovery. This would seem to solve that problem.
The hat is awesome! I wish I had one for our trip to northern Minnesota in a few weeks! It reminds me of my favorite Uncle Buck quotes!
I always wear a harness (integrated into my inflatable pfd) and a tether on a hard point or jack line, unless there is a crew member aboard who is qualified for our M.O.B. Drill. Despite her proven ability on the drill, the Admiral insists she is not qualified, so I am nearly always tethered while under way.
Honestly, it's not much of a bother. I just do it!
When I solo, I rig the swimming ladder so I can deploy it from the water. But I will now be sure our elite waterproof handheld radio is attached in the future.
Honestly, it's not much of a bother. I just do it!
When I solo, I rig the swimming ladder so I can deploy it from the water. But I will now be sure our elite waterproof handheld radio is attached in the future.
The re
It's a wonderful fantasy that you will be able to just snap a second tether to a second jackline and reach a knife, slip down the side of the boat uninjured and still have the ability and strength to pull yourself up a ladder to safety, but I sure wouldn't bet MY life on it.
What's so hard about just not going overboard? Neither I, nor any of my crew have gone overboard in more 50 years in my career as a professional mariner. That includes a circumnavigation and numerous transAts and transPacs under sail long before the term 'weather window' was coined and WWV/H was the ONLY weather source. The point being that back then the chances of encountering "rough conditions" were considerably greater without the sat weather data available to every mariner on the water today.
Prevention in this case, beats thousands of dollars worth of cure.
The reality is that if one goes overboard on a tether in "rough conditions", one is most likely to be so disoriented and quite possibly injured (anything from a head injury to broken bones or even be knocked unconscious), that further action in a timely fashion would be improbable. That leaves one being bashed against the side of the boat repeatedly.
It's a wonderful fantasy that you will be able to just snap a second tether to a second jackline and reach a knife, slip down the side of the boat uninjured and still have the ability and strength to pull yourself up a ladder to safety, but I sure wouldn't bet MY life on it.
What's so hard about just not going overboard? Neither I, nor any of my crew have gone overboard in more 50 years in my career as a professional mariner. That includes a circumnavigation and numerous transAts and transPacs under sail long before the term 'weather window' was coined and WWV/H was the ONLY weather source. The point being that back then the chances of encountering "rough conditions" were considerably greater without the sat weather data available to every mariner on the water today.
Prevention in this case, beats thousands of dollars worth of cure.
I am afraid that this is one of these fantasies that are believed in, based on some movies or other stories. You are as likely to bring yourself back to the boat as you are going to climb the rope hand over hand hanging from a cliff. I have seen it done in the movies, so it must be real.
Marek
Lot of good advice here, particularly liked the post by Johnb. Since I sail solo a lot, I think about this stuff a lot and try to prepare for such an overboard event. I am astounded to see that many of my friends keep their transom boarding ladders on their boats in the upright position and locked. I keep a looped line on my unlocked ladder that just hits the waterline. My hope is that if I fell in or got knocked overboard, and was still conscious, I could get the ladder down and climb back aboard. While harder than you might think (try it sometime), it is doable. While I always wear a fanny pack PFD when sailing, I do not use a safety harness as I think if I fell overboard the harness would ensure a longer period of drowning.
A non-folding knife is better than a folding knife and should always be handy when you are on a sailboat in sporty conditions or on a river raft or on a river with ropes nearby. However, a safer way to prepare for a need to release from a tether is to have the tether ring on webbing that has a quick-release buckle. See rescue PFDs; they all have it.
I agree that dragging the line is not much of safety cushion. You would have to be lucky and a pretty strong swimmer to get to it before it got away not to mention the problems with dragging a line. How many times would you forget it was there and catch it with the prop? The main thing is getting the boat to stop and wait for you. That means disabling the auto pilot. Next, you gotta be able to get in the boat. I think a short line off the back rail that could be reached from the water and, when pulled, would bring the ladder down would be the solution.
Where did you find your PFD? I have one of those that drapes around my shoulders and is water activated.. It's still bulky IMO, and it has gone off a couple times just getting wet from spray.
I can barely board using my swim ladder when the boat is at anchor or even in the slip. The last rung is not deep enough for a foot unless my knees are raised to my chest while I'm clutching the transom hand-hold. Even kneeing onto the first rung is a challenge. I hardly see how I could re-board using the ladder if the boat were underway, or bobbing on our typical wind waves. Although, the adrenaline might help for a brief time.
Taking a cue from Life-Sling, which offers a luff (i.e., lift) tackle to hoist the victim from the water, I had for many years secured an attachment block w/carabiner to the hand hold on the transom next to the swim ladder. The idea being that if I got an MOB next to the boat I could haul him or her from there up the sloping transom. A double tackle with a sling placed there so a victim in the water could reach it might help the vic pull himself out of the water and up the transom, at least to the point of getting a solid foot onto the swim ladder. Tackle was suspended from the split backstay at just above the split. Once again, however, if the boat is underway it would be very hard to reach the apparatus from the end of a tether while being dragged through the water with no one else aboard.
Taking a cue from Life-Sling, which offers a luff (i.e., lift) tackle to hoist the victim from the water, I had for many years secured an attachment block w/carabiner to the hand hold on the transom next to the swim ladder. The idea being that if I got an MOB next to the boat I could haul him or her from there up the sloping transom. A double tackle with a sling placed there so a victim in the water could reach it might help the vic pull himself out of the water and up the transom, at least to the point of getting a solid foot onto the swim ladder. Tackle was suspended from the split backstay at just above the split. Once again, however, if the boat is underway it would be very hard to reach the apparatus from the end of a tether while being dragged through the water with no one else aboard.
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My next solution is a Dinghy Cannon. You know those air cannons that fire T shirts at basketball games? This would be like that. Triggered automatically, it would fire an inflatable dinghy which, while in mid-air, would inflate and land next to you in the water. Then you could just climb in.
Ha! It would blow 200 ft down wind of you b/f it hit the water, and just keep going.
Very well said, Capta. I hope others will take your observations to heart. I think the idea of catching and then hanging on to a trailing line also falls into the "fantasy" category.
While I do use a harness, tether, and jacklines, I'm under no illusions about their efficacy.
btw. there are watches that can act as remotes. Garmin has one (Quatix), but I bet, there are others. No need for an app. And it is waterproof. Not that it solves the issue of how could you steer the boat from the water and not run yourself over. But at least you can disengage the autopilot, so the boat would start doing circles or stop to the wind.
I would like to see, though, how one could manage to chase that boat in any kind of sea state.
I would like to see, though, how one could manage to chase that boat in any kind of sea state.
Yes, but forgive--the boat will NEVER "stop" to the wind if there is any wind. It will always be making way toward its lee, engine off, sails down or luffing-- whatever (unless anchored). I can assure you and the others that unless you're a veritable Johnny Weissmuller reincarnate in loin skin or Speedo only, you're not going to catch it!!
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Or you could just tow the dinghy. Or even easier, a kayak. On a 50 foot line at 6 knots you'd have a tad over 5 seconds to intercept the line/kayak. Once aboard the kayak, just pull yourself towards the stern ladder. Supervised practice might be in order.
The kayak would remind you there's a line in the water, reducing the chance of fouling.
Combining this technique with an AP disabler would be interesting.
I would never do it. Too big a pain.
However, it might be good piece of mind for someone worried about solo MOB.