[Public-list] COB while solo

[John Boor]

> Greetings, 'Bergers,

I will add some personel observations to this thread.

While swimming when at anchor I tried to reboard from the
side of the boat ,I could not do it even with a looped rope
over the side.  Another time after rinsing off in 65 deg
water I bearly made it out of the water using a ladder that
just touched the water.  A friend of mine slipped into the
water when stepping from a boat to his inflatable dinghy, he
could not get back into the dinghy (nothing to grab onto)
even I from my dinghy could not help him to reboard his
dinghy finally I assisted him to a boat with a stern ladder
and was able to get out.  I also have a hard shell tender
and while trying to reboard flipped it over even from the
transom.  I have tried dragging a floating line behind my
boat about 50ft long with knots every 20in and ended up with
a snarled mass of line behind.  I have just about run over
another dragged line from a vessel that crossed ahead of me
I only missed it because he had a float at the end of the
line and saw it bouncing in the water. If you are young and
very healthy some of these ideas may work but for older
sailors probably not.  O my boat I have a fixed boarding
ladder over the stern that drops about 4ft into the water re
boarding while at anchor would it work when the boat is
bouncing I dont know but would not hesitate trying if needed
to.  I do a lot of solo sailing and always wear my harness
type PFD anytime the boat is underway in fact it is a
requirement of mine that all people on deck when underway
must wear a PFD.

John Boor
MAHSEER #380

     For overnight trips I keep the dingy well behind,
 figuring I can more easily pile into that from the water
 than get back on the boat, even when motoring. (A stern
ladder, too, is installed.)

  Falling off while motoring with autopilot engaged is
  the biggest hazard, and really the time not to go about on
  deck. If you are now swimming, fully clothed and hopefully
with a now inflated PFD,  I don't think you will ever catch
your
> >     boat. I think what we need to concentrate on is
> > going on deck with a tether that will not let us get
> > overboard should we fall  -  get in the habit of using
> it - 


----------------------------------------
Upgrade your account today for increased storage; mail
forwarding or POP enabled e-mail with automatic virus
scanning. Visit our member benefits page at
https://members.canada.com/benefits.aspx for more
information.

 1144250175.0