Being safe around ropes

[SV Bacchus]

Originally Posted by boatman61

So.. back to being safe around ropes..
One of the biggest failings I see on boats is the messy way people treat them..
Haul in sheets when tacking for example.. are they coiled and left ready and out of the way for the next usage.??
No they lay there in a bunch of fives waiting to cause a jam,, or bights in the cockpit ready to wrap a foot as a sheet is set fly.
Tidy after each use children..

I preach this to the crew every day. Once a maneuver, i.e. tacking, or a task, i.e. raising the main, is completed and Bacchus stabilizes, everything that can hurt you or jam horribly is dressed properly and stored in its place. I get accused of being a dictator but I don't want any of us hurt due to being lazy.

Like FunJohnson and a couple others have mentioned we too were taught to feed the winch "thumb up, line going down". Like others I admit it feels awkward and only do it when I think of it. I will constantly try to remind myself because muscle memory will eventually take over and I will be more prone to do it 'right' all the time.

'Right' being right in my book only, I get that but it does seem a safe way to wrap a winch.

In my younger, non-sailing days, my uncle was living in Ft. Lauderdale and had a couple renting his dock from him. They were lifetime sailors and the female half of the couple was missing a finger from a winch accident. Impressed me of the danger even before I began sailing!

[Lihuedooley77]

Good thread. Line laying about can also be a problem.

Thoughts here on the forum about keeping lines coiled, and squared away, and out of the way when possible is good idea.

On the bare boat charters, and some privately owned sailing vessels,

Running rigging lines, are individually run back to the cockpit thru clutches on the coach roof. This can result in confusing tangles of un-made up lines piled in a sound mess .

Free up up the lines that are going to be use, and coil them, ready for action. The others that are not going to be used, coil , finish with a C gasket, and lay them up on the cabin top, tidy and out of the way. They can be located and ready in short order.

The running rigging lines are coiled and ready.

Main sheet is coiled and looped over its winch, ready to run, or haul in.

Jib Sheets, are also long coiled and lay ready for use, with a single loop run thru the coil and layed over the winch. The sheet can be freed, and ready run or sheet in very quickly. No mess in the cockpit.

Might have extra tail available for the traveler adjustments, for trim and coming about.

In other words, the decks are clear of any lines lose line. No tangiing up in feet, no tripping , no sprained ankles, or taking up seating room on the cockpit cushions..

Also, lines attached to the mast, or boom, or boom vang, coiled and secured. No
line coming free, sliding over the rail, into the water and possibly fouling the prop.

Peace and quiet.

Halyards : Might bring extra line to tie them off to the shrouds, when in harbor , so they do not clang,and ping against the mast. Thoughtful of ther neighbors and more quiet for the crew well.

Very Good info from your instructors and the tips from this forum on handling sheets, and keeping fingers and thumbs attached to the body. Not wrapping fingers between the winch and the jib sheet is a good plan . I have seen the results of that, and the lady was a professional pianist. Two fingers...gone.

One last thought, extra line of different diameters can come in very handy on
a sailing vessel. Rigging preventers, additional reefing iine, extra sail ties, etc.

Racing crews may have different procedures on some of these ideas, the above is from
a cruising stand point.

[Captain Caliamari]

just goes to show, you can't trust the bloody English!

Watch it!

[sazarac]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

No...
"a rope is what you hang yourself with
Line is the generic term on a sailboat for any spare cordage without a specific use.. as in
Sheet, Halyard, Topping lift etc.
They become Breast Lines, Spring Lines, furling Lines, securing Lines,..... but Never Ever Ropes!"

Sorry Stu, I was just possessed by my long dead English Sailing Instructor [emoji33] [emoji1]

Saloon or salon?

[groundtackle]

Girls, boys or others - put your hair up or cut it.
Stop to consider what you are about to do, proceed when clarity settles in.
Chris

[Cheechako]

Yes, pinch points and watch out for coils like anchor rode!

[jen1722terry]

Wow! Deja vu! Takes me back to my youth in Sea Cadets, getting corrected on my nautical terms by the retired Navy types who generously volunteered to teach us kids the way around ships.

Anyhow, I just looked at a few Utubes on winch handling. I liked the one that tells you to always remove the winch handle when you're putting line on or taking it off a winch. Makes it easier to do/undo the wraps. I guess I do that some of the time, but I should be doing it all of the time.

Cool!

[Juho]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Tidy after each use children..

Yes, that is also my primary method. Make sure you don't have a mess when you need that line next time. Accidents don't happen when everything goes as planned, but when there is an unexpected mess, and you lose your attention.

[bailsout]

A famous Englishman wrote, “ Much Ado about Nothing” . Ha! And I enjoyed the safer way to pull on a stringy thing and Herreshoff’s dictionary.

[captlloyd]

Originally Posted by Jdege

When I was taking riding lessons as a kid, the instructors made a strict point about always holding a lead in such a way that you'd not be trapped if the horse bolted.

Years later I received similar advice in dog training classes. Of course my dog only weighed 18 pounds, but some had dogs big enough to be dangerous.

I've heard similar advice in sailing classes regarding how to hold a winch handle, but I don't think I've heard anyone say anything about the various ropes and lines that clutter a boat.

But it is something we should be aware of, and should point out to every passenger.

Dancer's hand ripped clean off in freak boating accident

About that “ ropes and lines that clutter a boat”.

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

I used to care about the differences. Then a few years ago I read Dockhead's and thinwater's discussions.


Free, free, free at last...


It sure is liberating.

Yes. I can see that now.
Initially I was upset with myself that I've had it wrong all these years and then realized.. Who cares!
Communication should be all about clarity and reinforcing safe habits.

Handing over heavy Mooring Ropes (sounds strange) when docking can often be a skippers nightmare, especially if they are heavy

Having them laid out neatly and in the direction you want them to run if springs helps.

I prefer to only give the dock help the eye for a specific cleat so they don't try to take over control of the boat and screw up your docking.

[Ken Z]

Always give plenty of space, footage, between you and winch ,cleat, piling to keep from getting to sucked in . Lines in the cockpit floating around , shuffel your feet, avoid stepping, harder to get tangled.

[blueazimuth]

To quote my English sailing master:
It’s a rope when you buy it in the store.
Once on the boat, a rope is called a line, with a specific name if it has a designated use, or just a line if it does not.
Wire rope is wire rope in the store, and on the boat, unless it has a designated use.

[boatman61]

No.. In a store its cordage..

[StuM]

Originally Posted by boatman61

No.. In a store its cordage..

What is it in a rope locker?