"Alone Together"
A singlehanded sailing adventure,
L.A. to Hawaii and return
Dedicate a lunch hour (the film is a short 30 minutes) to sailing alone,
with Christian Williams
on a sailing journey we have all dreamed of.
(Best viewed full screen).
"Alone Together"
the book.
A great gift idea for someone who has a sailing dream.
A few more ideas for the sailor in your life
Discover Sail
Learn to Sail Lessons
Catalina Island Adventure Cruise
Call for special holiday prices.
801-636-5204
If you're not ready to sail alone to Hawaii,
consider giving the gift of sailing to someone who has the dream.
"For many years I have dreamed of what sailing might be like. The reality of this adventure exceeded my hopes. Todd, as teacher and captain, could not have been better. I loved your discussion on techniques, stories, trivia, and hands on experience. I am hooked".
David & Holly
Food for Thought
Some ruminations on tethering, when solo sailing.
Don't take somebody else's word on the topic,
try it yourself (with suitable safety backups).
Be objective. Embrace the good. Learn from the failures.
MOB and the solo sailor requires thought, preparation and practice.
I have selected the following videos for ideas:
Tether Trials
Embrace:
Actually using a somewhat anatomically correct MOB. Not a PFD.
Observing effects of boat speed on MOB retrieval
Observing windward / leeward situations of MOB. (ouch)!
Slowing the boat down. Winds and sea state may dictate how you do this.
Learn a different way:
By dumping the main sheet, when quick turning upwind, the boom now has an excellent opportunity to live up to its name sake. Pretty hard to concentrate on the MOB and a thrashing, out-of-control boom. Besides, if you were solo sailing, who's bringing her into the wind?
I was impressed with crew teamwork as lines were rigged for an upwards belay, and the boats mechanical advantage was employed to raise a realistic "wet, dead weight" out of the water...but, I'll bet the lady helping to belay the soaking wet MOB upwards, will be on the chiropractors table next day. Once again, for a solo MOB, you got NADA for help.
My $.02 worth
Remember...you're sailing your boat solo, out there on your own. Because you're alone, you will likely have some sort of auto pilot options to steer the boat, when you are sleeping. Let's say you're a sleepwalker, and there is a chance you might end up a MOB. What kind of tether are you going to design for yourself? Try to erase all those preconceived ideas that this video, books and discussions have lodged in your mental four drawer file under MOB. Start fresh. No one is going to judge your design ideas. Start putting your ideas in a shoe box. You will get inspiration at the most inopportune times. Carry a note pad everywhere with you, or these inspired ideas will surely leave you. You are beginning to design your own, real world MOB system for you and your boat.
As in all good designs....simplify, simplify, simplify.
Embrace:
Obvious thought went into this system. This would probably do the job if boat speed was below 5 knots, MOB was strong, alert, sailing in daylight conditions and familiar with the Hitchhikers Guide to the Gallexy.
Learn a different way:
After you're done paying off your boat loan, you can start all over on paying down the costs of this unit.
My $.02 worth
Someone much smarter than I, designed this complex tether. Probably has a PhD in Sudoku. Cost and complexity seems to be a downside. Besides, trying to refold it after use would be like putting a Sears lawn mower back in the original packaging.
West Marine tether system.
Embrace:
If you purchase this system, you will likely never put the effort into designing a tether that works for you. The Italian carabiner is cool, but the rest of the WM system will not get you back in the boat.
Learn a different way:
Think about it. Where are you going to end up if you are knocked off the boat while working at the mast? If you are clipped into a jack line (which you should be as a solo sailor), where will you end up with this WM tether? In this scenario, the elasticised line will stretch maybe 2 feet from jack line to the top life line, then down overboard another 2 feet to the deck and another 4-5 feet to the water. When I ask folks where they think a tethered MOB will end up, most say somewhere back here, gesturing towards the back of the boat. That's roughly 13' on my 25' Catalina LWL. If you think empirically, that puts the elongated WM tether somewhere just above the water line, abeam of the mast. The weight of the MOB will create sag in the life line, where there can be no forward or aft movement by the taught tether.
It's this very mental image that has inspired me to encourage all those I sail with, to redesign those well meaning, but short sighted text book tethers. I'll bet we can do better.
My $.02 Worth
I am not advocating the system I use as the best/only/superior solo MOB system available. But it works. I have tested it on my boat, using myself as the MOB. Please reserve judgement until you have actually either tried this system or tried your own design, or one of the designs mentioned above. Have a chase boat near by just in-case. Pick a day with good strong winds, as you are probably not going to be a MOB on a calm day. Bring the boat to a close haul for optimum speed and heel. Set your auto pilot. Put on your chest harness. Put on a PFD. Attach the end of your main sheet to your chest harness. Some like a carabiner attachment, some like to tie in directly to the chest harness. I have approximately 30' of main sheet when I am close hauled. Make your way on deck, from the cockpit, to the mast, and if the area is clear, jump off the boat. You should be able to watch your boat sail off, leaving you floating at the point where you entered the water. As the slack of the main sheet is taken up by the boat sailing on its own, you should now be trailing behind your boat about 10'. Here is the crucial element to a solo MOB self rescue. You really need a swim ladder that can drop down to help you get back in the boat. If you don't have a ladder, you are no worse off than the tethers we have already discussed.
We've got ourselves a race here!
Bonneville School of Sailing
www.bonnevillesiling.com
8016.636.5204 |
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