To tether or not, that is the question

[waeshael]

What I do is take a line from a spare Spinnaker halyard to a five part block and tackle and attach the lower end to my harness. I can walk all the way to the foredeck from the cockpit attached all the way. I have to swing the halyard to clear the spreader. If you have crew they can pull you aboard by using the fall line on the black and tackle. I have experienced this and it does work. If you are alone you will need to set up a rope step line which hangs along each side of he deck which droops down to the waterline almost, so you can step on it. But first you have to stop the boat. I have a tiller system and place a wooden wedge under the mechanical link to the autopilot and this wedge is connected to the step line so that when I grab that line the wedge pulls up the autopilot link arm and the boat naturally rounds up with a free tiller.
No matter what happens I am connected to the boat and could work something out.
Deck lines are a tripping hazard and the harness line was always too short to allow me to reach the jib luff for sail changes.

But I have to admit that after about ten days at sea I didn't wear anything, no clothes, no harness. I sailed 10,000 miles in the Ocean and only once was thrown into the sail which kept me on board. There is no likelihood of being ejected from the cockpit no matter how rough it gets. Life vests are a nuisance offshore, always catching on hardware and getting in the way. But I usually wore one in rough weather.

The risk of falling off the boat are pretty small.

[Olddan1943]

You get a very special feeling in your stomach as you watch your boat sailing beyond your reach.....
If you are sailing alone, swallow your pride and rig a 'granny line'.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Olddan1943

You get a very special feeling in your stomach as you watch your boat sailing beyond your reach.....
If you are sailing alone, swallow your pride and rig a 'granny line'.

a. You'll never find the granny line at night. And why did you fall off in nice weather? Would you even feel it? even water ski ropes, on flat water, are hard for the skier to see.

b. You won't be able to hold the line, let alone man up it at 6-9 knots.
c. Sure, you could rig it to make the boat round up, but you would probably be off the line before that.
d. Swim a couple knots in foul weather gear. Sure.


I've never seen a demonstration posted nor have I heard a claim that someone has tried it. I wouldn't post something I had not tried or seen documented as useful, and this has not, to my knowledge, been documented.



If it has, please, someone show us. I think it's myth.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by waeshael

...If you are alone you will need to set up a rope step line which hangs along each side of he deck which droops down to the waterline almost, so you can step on it. But first you have to stop the boat. ....

Won't you swing out under the mast head, which is likely 10-15 feet from the boat when heeled? On the other hand, if a sail is up, you will fall between the rail and the bow wave, like any tether system and be stuck there. Have you tested this underway?

[estarzinger]

Originally Posted by thinwater

a. granny line . . . .

If it has, please, someone show us. I think it's myth.

Thin, in the original GGR, for exercise RKJ used to dive off his bow, swim full speed until the stern passed and catch a line, pull himself on board and do it again.

However, he was a REAL man - back in the day when men could easily hand over hand up their mast.

And I suspect he only did it on 'slow' days, but if I remember correctly he did do it with 4kts of boat speed.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by estarzinger

Thin, in the original GGR, for exercise RKJ used to dive off his bow, swim full speed until the stern passed and catch a line, pull himself on board and do it again.

However, he was a REAL man - back in the day when men could easily hand over hand up their mast.

And I suspect he only did it on 'slow' days, but if I remember correctly he did do it with 4kts of boat speed.

Yeah, I would intentionally do that when I had the Stiletto 27 when the wind was light and it was hot. My clear recollection was that at about 4-5 knots holding on to waterski rope became impossible, and by 6-7 knots hanging onto anything was tough.


My point is that we should avoid "psychological" protection. Climbers refer to anchors that are not full strength in this way and it is NOT a compliment. It is better to have no protection and behave accordingly. If you think a rope off the back will help, then something is making you uneasy and you should come up with a real solution to what is making you uneasy.

[Sailmon]

Another critical factor is challenge of setting up jack line(s) and teather in a way that makes going overboard impossible while clipped in . Going overboard while singlehanding and dragging through water while boat sails or motors on auto pilot has high likelihood of ending in drowning.

[ramblinrod]

Originally Posted by thinwater

a. You'll never find the granny line at night. And why did you fall off in nice weather? Would you even feel it? even water ski ropes, on flat water, are hard for the skier to see.

b. You won't be able to hold the line, let alone man up it at 6-9 knots.
c. Sure, you could rig it to make the boat round up, but you would probably be off the line before that.
d. Swim a couple knots in foul weather gear. Sure.


I've never seen a demonstration posted nor have I heard a claim that someone has tried it. I wouldn't post something I had not tried or seen documented as useful, and this has not, to my knowledge, been
If it has, please, someone show us. I think it's myth.

I concur, there is a big difference between diving into calm water in a Speedo with the boat going 2 knots and picking up a trailed line, vs being knocked by the boom in the middle of a black night storm in heavy seas at decent speed. By the time you surface, get your wits about you (if not knocked out cold) realize how n what direction the boat is from m you, the line could be out of reach.

Planning to stay on the boat (tether) is step 1. Planning how to stay afloat (PFD) and reboard) (trailed line) are contingency for unlikely event step 1 fails. PS in some waters dragging on a trailed line at 6 knots is considered fishing for Great Whites. In the Chesapeake, it may just mean being stung in the face by a 1000 jelly fish. ;-)

[Sojourner]

When I suggested my own knotted granny line, the previous caveat was to first heave to. Once done, that means minimal (1-2 knot) drift, and no accidental knock on the head with a boom, at worst a sudden pitch headfirst into the drink from a bucking deck. So speedo or not, you can indeed catch that line, and pull up on the little ladder you threw over the transom before you went forward

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by Benz

^^I have been in the bay, north to south and side to side. It's a landlocked bay. There's no chance of huge breaking seas that would warrant a tether offshore.
Because something could theoretically happen doesn't mean ridiculous measures have to be taken against it. Reasonable caution and situational awareness are far better at preventing calamities.
Wearing a PFD at any time ever, unless there's water gurgling over your bunk mattress, is ridiculous.

Some of the most dangerous sea state I've seen has been in the Bay, during a winter storm. I seriously considered running out into the ocean to escape it. And I have a fair number of +2,000 miles passages under my belt and offshore storm experience.

Just because it's a "landlocked bay" does not mean it's harmless.

[Olddan1943]

Originally Posted by thinwater

a. You'll never find the granny line at night. And why did you fall off in nice weather? Would you even feel it? even water ski ropes, on flat water, are hard for the skier to see.

b. You won't be able to hold the line, let alone man up it at 6-9 knots.
c. Sure, you could rig it to make the boat round up, but you would probably be off the line before that.
d. Swim a couple knots in foul weather gear. Sure.

If it has, please, someone show us. I think it's myth.

I've never seen a demonstration posted nor have I heard a claim that someone has tried it. I wouldn't post something I had not tried or seen documented as useful, and this has not, to my knowledge, been documented.

The dive boat I was on, always put out put out a floating 'granny line.' I would improve it by knotting and adding a small fender. At night, obviously a light on
the fender would be best.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Olddan1943

The dive boat I was on, always put out put out a floating 'granny line.' I would improve it by knotting and adding a small fender. At night, obviously a light on
the fender would be best.

Not a bad idea for swimmers when anchored in a gentle current. I sometimes threw out the life sling for this reason.

[sck5]

Not understanding all the overthinking here. If you are on Chesapeake Bay you are not far from a West Marine which will be happy to sell you a ready-made jackline and a pfd with an integral harness and a tether. Or, you can order them from Defender and have them delivered tomorrow. Or you can go to your local Home Depot and buy a couple of lengths of 1 inch webbing and make your own jacklines.

If you are worried you can always use it. If not, then dont. But if you dont have it you certainly wont be using it.

FWIW I rarely used a tether in the Bay on a sunny day in settled weather. Yeah, you are supposed to do it but I usually didnt.

[Benz]

Originally Posted by Suijin

Some of the most dangerous sea state I've seen has been in the Bay, during a winter storm. I seriously considered running out into the ocean to escape it. And I have a fair number of +2,000 miles passages under my belt and offshore storm experience.

Just because it's a "landlocked bay" does not mean it's harmless.

The OP is not talking about a winter storm--he's talking about daysailing in summer. Even in the violent surprise squalls that come out of nowhere, the sea state will not get bad enough to warrant a harness. Better to dash about unhindered getting his canvas in quick than fool around with a tether.
Let's face it: tethers slow you down immensely, and their best usefulness is when having to change sails or reef down far out at sea when time isn't the most pressing thing. To be able to go forward, thinking each step through, clipping thoughtfully in places of greatest advantage--this is where the tether is best. The tether is my favorite (my only, really) safety device, but it has to be used in the proper time and place, and in the proper way, or it becomes stupid.

[Tillsbury]

Put me in the “yes” camp. I just habitually clip on when outside of the cockpit, or when within it at night or in the rough stuff. I always buy pfds with integral harnesses so no need to remember to put one on.

On our first delivery trip we had no jacklines, so ran some spare sheets from aft cleat to forward cleat opposite side, which did the job.