Falling off while sailing

Bob:
I'm sure your right, there is a big difference between a stream lined diver being pulled, and being pulled sideways from a belt strap unwillingly or even better upside down,sideways, and screaming and thrashing being dragged by an ankle strap tether.
I think I'll keep my current setup.
Now we just need to convince Keith to do a demo video (lol).

We did this (tethered) on the TI in 15mph winds. The boat slowed to a crawl and rounded up as I recall. Was easy to climb back on. Hakas made it even easier.

No need to overthink this one folks. As long as you can make it to the rudder, you can steer the boat by hand till it's in irons. Or, it will simply turn to whichever side you grab, due to drag.

The real danger offshore comes in NOT being tethered, and NOT sailing with reliable buddies. You can not possibly catch a boat that is downwind of you. Not unless something stops it or it tacks back by itself.

For anyone wondering what their hobie would do without you onboard, simply take your hand off the tiller and watch.

_________________
The Wind Is Your Friend...

Without floggig a dead horse, I would also think that once the occupant hits the water, the remaining weight of the Island is almost halved, so the weight at the end of the tether will have a significant effect. Fusioneng's "trawling" example might be misleading given that his TI still had crew on board. Just sayin'

Come on Keith, you know you want to make the video!

_________________
Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

Yeah, I've got an idea for a video, but I think everyone has done a good job of setting the table (fusioneng) and answering the questions (KB & NOHUHU.) I think NOHUHU's advice-wear a tether if offshore, especially if solo--is excellent. I came from a sea kayaking background and tethers were a big no, no; but, Hobie Islands are a different situation (unless you are landing through big surf.) With people climbing all over their boats fishing, falling through tramps (fusioneng), or falling off hakas, they need to be tethered. If you fall off your Island and you are not tethered and you separate from your boat, you are "up the proverbial creek without a paddle"--literally.

I may not have to do a MOB test, but the winds have been fantastic, 17-22 mph and more lately. I just have this dam job I have to get done. Oh, well...maybe I'll get time.

Keith

_________________
2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

Just bringing up something I posted here years ago, but which I still practice: If you are one of those people who tie their mainsheet to their furling line, you can attach the resulting loop to your PFD with a large carabiner. Then you are not only tethered with a quick release (the carabiner), you also have your lines readily to hand at all times.

_________________

Here's a rather harrowing account of what its like to fall off your kayak in cold temperate waters of the North Sea. I copied and pasted my friends events, Billy who is a friend that I've kayaked with many times doesn't really explain the fear he was going through as he's a rather tough Glaswegian that doesn't scare to easily! He did tell me he thought it was his end! This is Billys account copy and pasted, he is the first to admit he made a very silly decision, my guess was air temp 20c , water temp 6c










nice to be back on dry land  
well today started well in water 9am ...paddled out to mark 3.5mile from aldeburgh [ martello tower ]got settled and fishin for about an hour or so first fish codlin 3.5lb lovely .in the hold with it , a few doggies came up and released...rat atat tat..look out here comes first bass of the day 52 cms mabee 4/4.5 lb yee haa ya f**kin beauty , 5 mins later another about same size ...it went quiet so decided to move ..BAD MOVE..tried to pull anchor up, it was ok at back of yak ut when i tried to heave the yak went tits up ..im in the water..now it was very warm so i had tied the drysuit round ma waist ..BAD DECISION ..the bottom half had filled with water and the pfd was up around ma neck , no matter how many times i tried to get back on , the yak just flipped again ..ive been in sea mabee twenty mins and im gettin the shivers , f**k ..im gettin a bit concerned at this time , the vhf is in ma pfd ..but am thinkin F**k that , if i make the call it wil be a big hoo ha ..eventually got on at the stern an shimmed my way up to the seat , hand slippedof the yak and SPLASH ..im in again ..had a rest for two mins and tried again...BASTERDO ..got caught up in rudder so had to get in water take pfd off and try again , now ive been in water mabee an hour and feet are numb cos i can feel them ..by this time the tide is f**kin hammerin through...am on the yak and back in the seat shiverin uncontrolably rods in a right tangle cos the yak had been turned a few times and things where in a mess i had drifted out a bit further been in water so long ..i was 4.5miles offshore and paddlin against current ...ma two bass , rapala fillet knife , crate , neo gloves , rag, peeler, lug, pliers , sandwichies ,flask with cold water in,weights ,rigs sunglasses and other bits n bobs GONE..neptune should have a f**kin bootsale on that lot , not to mention anchor ,line ,bouy..hopefully that will still be there tmoz
by the time i got to shore i was F**ked n sore from cold ...now back in house and bathed i feel better ,but a very sore lesson was learned today ..if you can ..get company , and never take you eye off the ball..and dont be a twat!!! drysuits are excelent IF you wear them properly and your pfd must be snug around your waist , lash as much as poss ...or keep gear down to a minimum ....

a very lucky billy



KFF
Junior Member



Kayak Fishing since Summer 2006 Member here since December 2006.

Posts: 448

_________________
Every day is an Adventure Island day

Thanks Keith. Stories like that, while uncomfortable to read, help to focus on the need to take the risks seriously. It never hurts to pre-think scenarios through in theory rather than face them for real the first time.

_________________
Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

Although I've sailed monohulls before, I'm a new TI owner - have yet to pick it up in fact - and have wondered about this very subject. My first take will be a harness near the rear center.

Thanks to all for the discussion.

[quote="fusioneng"]Keith:
Just what you are describing, "falling overboard with a teather on" is getting me thinking.

I wonder if the front arka out by the arma as far as possible.
My thinking being, as you are now behind the TI / AI getting dragged through the water, the drag would pull the boat into wind thusly giving you a chance of getting to the boat. The more off center you are, the more the force there will be to ,,, force the boat to be dragged into wind.

Myself, I don't tether.

_________________
It's not the wind that blows, that will take you where you want to go in life. It is the set of your sail

Yo Brian. It would likely collapse the Akas, but I get your point. Better to tie yourself to either end of the rear crossbar. You could waterski from those if you wanted to...

_________________
The Wind Is Your Friend...

Yea that center rear crossbar seems to be very strong. We have a 6 person inflatable raft that we tow about 15 ft behind our TI some times when we go diving, we haul tanks, bc's,coolers, etc. also when we have too many people (usually), we have them on inflatable or regular kayaks back there hanging on to the raft (we call it the party barge lol). Also several times now we have been at outings with groups of AI/TI's where I hook up to late arrivals and straglers, and catch them up to the rest of the group by towing them to catch up with the gang. We tie a 1/4" line about 25-30 ft long to my rear center AKA brace, then I have then tie a slip knot to their front AKA brace (near the mast (strongest point on the boat). I then have them sail at about 45 degrees behind me. Whats really amazing is doing that they are sailing in apparent wind (created by my TI), the drag on my modded out TI is only minimal (I only lose 1-2 mph, which is amazing to me). Hey it works, and with my wing sail and hybrid motors, we don't have to tack at all and we quickly catch up with the main group, then everyone is together again.
It seems to me the two strongest points to hook to on a TI are the front and rear center cross bars, the rear cross bar is usually where I tie my anchor line to so I can raise and lower my anchor from the front seat (when diving you have to raise and lower your anchor often). That rear AKA brace is where I tie my 8ft tether, that has a big stainless clip that I clip to my pfd when it gets rough, now thinking more about it (because of this thread), I will in the future wrap the tether around my arm pits and clip it to itself. Thats the only change I plan to make in my own saferty plan (based on this useful thread, which got me thinking).
Thanks guys
.
FE

For centuries sailors have tethered themselves to boats in foul weather. For centuries, sailors have fallen off boats untethered with disastrous results. Yes, it is definitely our choice.

Keith

_________________
2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

I can relay a little story relating to this topic.. Some years ago, I and three crew were sailing my quarter tonner (25 foot "mini ocean racer") offshore on a moonless night. I went below to do some navigation (pre- GPS ugh!) while the 3 tethered crew carried on topsides. Out of the dark came an extra large wave, and the yacht cut through its top and then sailed in mid-air until it found the bottom of the next wave.

One crewmember had been standing with his arms around the mast, and he lifted 3 feet and came down again un-perturbed. Another was shocked to realise that he had lifted clean over a large deck winch, landing unhurt on the other side of it (phew!). The guy steering hung on to a lifeline and the tiller. All were glad they were tethered.

The look on their faces was priceless when I quickly did a headcount from the companionway, as they had just seen me do a complete backwards somersault as we fell off the wave.

I ALWAYS insisted on everyone being tethered at all times at night, and whenever I considered that retrieving a man overboard would be a risky manouvre. That's not a bad rule of thumb to apply with our Islands....

_________________
Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

I just watched the Volvo round the world race series, where they related the resent loss of a seasoned veteran at sea. Heavy seas at night washed him overboard near the site of the Titanic disaster. He had NO PFD/harness on due to the ongoing crew change. Even with immediate MOB maneuvers, he was soon gone and they were lucky to find the body.

Seat belts,..

_________________
The Wind Is Your Friend...

Wow, that is small, very small solace.

Keith

_________________
2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon