Tether or Not?
In the world of single-handed sailing the practices of self- steering & tethering are widely followed. Soon after Col. "Blondie" Hasler developed the steering vane for the first single- handed transAtlantic sail, sailors realised that they needed to stay with the boat. The mental image of swimming after your boat as 1knot while she sails away from you at 4 knots is a chilling one. No lifevest or epirb will save you on the middle of a cold ocean.
Tethering systems became the work of good seamanship. For the longest time it seemed that having two lengths of webbing running either side of the deck, for & aft the length of the boat not only allowed free movement, but had the benefit of always being clipped in.
But, that was until John Kretschmer, a Cape Horner & deep seasailing instructor tested it out with no less than 28 "students" while a yacht was underway at 4 knots. No one could get back aboard without help; stopping the boat, lifting them back on board. Kretschmer noted that even a very fit, capable mountaineer at the top of his game couldn't self- rescue. Some sailors recommended easily deplorable rope loops, or a ladder that is easily dfromdr over the stern to help get back on board. We've all read of sailors being washed back aboard, but it makes sense to have options. But for me, the number of things that have to work faultlessly, leaves plenty of scope for such a complex system to fail eg. carrabiner unclips, deck point rips out, tether rope snags, sailor is injured in the fall, and so on.
In all this gadget grabbing Blondie's original concept had been lost. His boat "Jester" was a fully decked over Folkboat with small circular hatches to port and starboard. Her junk rig & windvane could be managed without going on deck. Hasler crossed the Atlantic without exposing any more than the top half of his body to the elements. He arrived in Newport a handful of days behind an exhausted Chichester (in a much larger boat), wearing slippers & fully rested. Hasler established a race, later to be known as the Jester Challenges, to provide a forum for yachts heavily modified for solo sailing. He was an innovator; during war he lead a team of kayakers into enemy harbors in dark to disarm & destroy warships & other infrastructure. No one on the team was detected or injured, Hasler was awarded for his service.
Dinghy sailors however are on deck at all times. We wear it as a badge of honour & take pleasure in the rawness of sailing. However with main sheet cleated off & Tiller Tamer engaged, we're at risk just like ocean going singlehanders. So what if a solo dinghy sailor falls overboard? Like our salty siblings we would watch the dinghy sail off without us. Houston we have a problem!
What to do? Well I've got some ideas, but am keen to research more. Here goes:
* wearing a life jacket is only useful if you are tethered or can swim to shore (in mild water temps).
* wear lifejacket & carry an epirb or waterproof vhf radio on your person. Better, but could take a while & your visibility is reduced.
* Wear a long tether & harness whenever the tiller is locked off. This could work, the sailor's drag would cause the dinghy to round up, & re-boarding could be undertaken.
* Towing a tiller trip line is feasible, but its a complication & there's a good chance you could miss it.
* Wearing a short tether to prevent the sailor entering the water is used by solo yacht sailors. But if the dinghy capsizes (likely) then being too close to the boat would be really dangerous .
I'm currently re-reading "Tinkerbelle" & learned that while suffering hallucinations due to lack of sleep, Manry was washed overboard several times in one day. Fortunately he was attached by a "long tether". He had trouble re- boarding after a while but "held firm to the gunnel & swung a leg to get a foothold on the rubbing strip" to get aboard. Through this he learned that his modifications to the boat, a sealed cabin & heavy steel drop keel, allowed "Tink" to be self-righting. In most situations, as Roger Barnes found when entering a bar entrance in heavy weather, the dinghy will capsize &/or flood. He had, after previous experience, fitted an automatic electric bilge pump & flotation by way of sealed bags for clothing & such, tethered to the hull. He also happened to have a Frenchman aboard who did the bailing while Roger steered. Even though he righted ship twice in quick succession, he sent out a May Day call during the mayhem. I'm aware that Roger wears a life-vest & clearly has his boat well sorted for self rescue, but he doesn't tether to Avel Dro & some would think, he had been lucky. Its a wake up call to all dinghy cruisers, to apply some thought.
On balance, even if only to "stay with the ship", wearing a tether makes good seasense. It would seem best practice to wear a long tether & harness whether or not a tiller device is being used.
Howard Rice, who was the go-to SCAMP dinghy test pilot, & cruised the 11'11" dinghy in the Magellem Straits. He developed a tether loop for re-boarding the high afforded SCAMP.
On a happier note, this is today's sunset on my property.
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