Challenge: What Do You Do?

[anjou]

This is something that Ive thought of more and more lately.

Sailing single handed comes with definite risks and Im so full of respect for the people who head off into the blue alone. Apart from the dangers of collision with other vessels and submerged objects, a broken leg or ribs could mean death.

So perhaps the risks are much reduced when you have company. There are many couples cruising and passage making. You share the watch, one is always awake and you do things by the book.

So there you are, on deck while your partner is sleeping. You have a harness and lifeline attached but you fall over board.

Suddenly, in the dark cold water, your not able to pull yourself along the line or climb back on board.


What do you do?

[dana-tenacity]

Make a lot of noise.

[Talbot]

Originally Posted by anjou

you fall over board.

Suddenly, in the dark cold water, your not able to pull yourself along the line or climb back on board.

What do you do?

Drown

[Factor]

Think - jeez I should have tried this harness system to make sure I couldn't go over board, I should have had a boat that was easy to get back on baord, I should have kissed that girl, I should have had that bottle of wine, I should have told that idiot at work that he is a tool, and then Drown.

[anjou]

Originally Posted by Factor

Think - jeez I should have tried this harness system to make sure I couldn't go over board, I should have had a boat that was easy to get back on baord, I should have kissed that girl, I should have had that bottle of wine, I should have told that idiot at work that he is a tool, and then Drown.

So, your life flashes before your eyes, and all at once you realise the mistakes made, the chances missed, the loved ones you should have told how much you love them, the defining moments of your life, all now vivid and yet somehow, like a book or film, not realy your life...............as you panic and struggle to hang on to whats most precious of all............wondering if today is the day, this is the moment when its going to hurt the most and its one step too far.

No coming back from this one.

Then you wake up, drenched in sweat, sheets on the floor, heart beating loudly, blood noisily rushing through your head as you gulp fresh air and stare into the darkness hoping it was just a nightmare?

[Wotname]

Enjoy the ride and think about Anjou's signature line. Pop the inflatable lifejacket and wonder if you will see the next dawn.

[4900bruce]

many years agoe I read a book called -Ocean voyaging- written by David M Parker.He recomends that if you should fall over the side because you are wearing a life line that is obviosly to long , you are going to die ,but do it gracefully.
He also mentions life rafts and i agree with his thoughts -if you cant keep a 30 - 50 foot boat afloat why would you asume you can keep a piece of rubber totaly reliant on air a float

[anjou]

All this talk of fatalism, accepting your fate and drowning is starting to worry me.

So your going to accept your own miserable death without a fight?

Nah, there has to be another way. The hero cant die like this, besides, you have to make it to the end so you can live to tell the tale.

[BlueSovereign]

Originally Posted by anjou

This is something that Ive thought of more and more lately.

Sailing single handed comes with definite risks and Im so full of respect for the people who head off into the blue alone. Apart from the dangers of collision with other vessels and submerged objects, a broken leg or ribs could mean death.
So perhaps the risks are much reduced when you have company. There are many couples cruising and passage making. You share the watch, one is always awake and you do things by the book.
So there you are, on deck while your partner is sleeping. You have a harness and lifeline attached but you fall over board.
Suddenly, in the dark cold water, your not able to pull yourself along the line or climb back on board.
What do you do?

Die ... because you and your partner were both dumb to have an excessively long life-line! BWC cruising isn't a ride at Disneyland, so don't be a "Bambi"!

Given one of my two core values associated with BWC is: "it's all about risk management", you would be also have strpped to you a MOB device as well as some means of making a loud noise (whistle, air-horn, etc.) that would hopefully enable you to alert your partner.

William aka 'The PIRATE'

PS: Thanks for voting in the Cruiser's Poll

[defjef]

If your tether is not terrible long and the boat is moving chances are it will be dragging you. If you were not at the stern you'll likely be towed along side and should be able to reach up with a leg or your arms to the toe rail and pull yourself on board.

Years ago I was doing a sail change (before roller furling) and the bow fell into a big trough and I was left in the air and when I came down I was over the life lines with a harness attached. This would be like the situation described.

My first thought was... was my harness attached or will the boat sail off and leave me to drown... but that was soon dispelled as I felt the harness tugging at my chest and realized I was being towed alongside the hull. I was on the lee side and grabbed a stanchion with my hands and the next one aft with a leg and pulled myself without too much effort on board.

I am not sure if I was on the windward side if I could have climbled aboard as easily as I would have to pull myself up by the tether? I suspect my adrenalin would have given me the strength.

It was a frightening experience, but a reassuring one because I learned how wearing the harness can save your life. I use two tethers as well so I am never untethered.. even when I have to move.. from the one side of the boat the the other. The harness is a Larakis and the tethers are about 6'.

Use your harness.

[amytom]

Press the lifetag button and wait for my lady to help me to the steps at the stern. Then never live it down how stupid I was.

[Tellie]

If that did happen, I would scratch, claw, scream and beat on the hull just like everyone else would. If we just accepted death because of something stupid we did, many of us would have been dead long ago.

[imagine2frolic]

First of all I made a comment for no need for a little black dress....lololol I can see it just compliments the little white one.

Since I have been tossed from my boat, and over the life lines while singlehanding the desolate coast of Baja Ca.. I can give you some personal thoughts. As my body passed over the lifelines, and before my ankles reached that spot. My thought was I will never be able to pull myself up onto the boat. I was in full foulies with long underwear under the foulies, and boots.

I was lucky enough that before my body fell below the lifelines. The boat fell off a wave, and actually yanked me back up onto the traveller, and dodger. I was completely bewildered to be sitting on top of the house, and immediatly got up, and finished my task. I sat in the cockpit, and it was then I realised I had hurt my back. I was stuck for 12 hours, or so until I had to force myself to move, or create yet another problem for myself, but that is another story for another time.

What I learned was to set my clip on the windward side of the boat, and walk on the leeward side when I could. Now this was on my 30ft. mono, Frolic. Now on Iamgine I set the clip anywhere away from the edge towards the center, and at times that means unclipping, and reclipping, but I can choose my timing for this, so it's safe. The good thing about the cat is it's width. It's 23'3", so if I am clipped somewhere in the center I run out of tether long before I get to the edge of the boat. Being the tether is only 6ft long.......i2f

[conachair]

use one of these on the harness lifeline so you can easily adjust the length to insure going over the side is impossible. - Grigri (climbing) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I´m solo so over the side means dead. Best to stay on the boat

[neilpride]

Im always sail with a 150 ft yellow line atached to a life ring towed in the stern, if i fall overboard i have a better chance to cacht the ring and back to the boat, if i miss the ring, make noise.