Interesting. I assume a small
sea anchor stops one end of the line allowing the
boats forward motion to pull the sailor in. Still, there is a lot that can go wrong.
- You can miss the pick-up line. In the dark, in bad weather, or if disoriented by the fall it might be very difficult.
- He was swimming in a dri suit, not weather gear">foul weather gear and a PFD. Much easier. Most people can't swim at all with an inflated PFD.
- You have to have a good enough grip to pull the sled to you before you reach the end of the line (it will then be jerked from you hands).
- At 7 knots, he is skipping over the water at over 10 knots. Even though he is in the wake, that could be pretty difficult in real waves with foul weather gear full of water. You need a good grip to hold a boogie board at those speeds.
- Must grab the ladder and climb, in the dark if it is night.
- Notice he was not wearing an inflated PFD. Why? Would that make the task more difficult? Would the PFD catch so much water when being towed at-speed as to make it impossible? Quite likely.
But I like the thinking.