I only have the highest praise for the efforts and good work of our emergency "forces". I have many friends who are EMT's and volunteer firemen. God bless you all- sincerely.
But, and I don't mean to denigrate your efforts at all, I have to wonder if it was a Laser you were extricating a sailor from. I mean, the rigging on a Laser is a mainsheet, a vang and downhaul. If someone was so entangled in a mainsheet on a Laser that they needed to be cut free, I would consign that person to bathtub toys
I would also wonder if simply flipping the Laser over would have been an easier option (?). Of course, I wasn't there. It was your call obviously.
Don't get me wrong please, I have solo-sailed since I was about 10 years old. (I am 51 now) I have been in flipped K's, Stars, Tornados, a Catalina 22, H16's- 18's-14's and now a 17, Sunfish, Sailfish A-Scow, E-Scow, Snipe, Rhodes 19, Optimist Pram and others. I have been under spinnakers, mains and hulls but I have never been entangled except for an incident on my 16. I guess I am a regular one man disaster
I have had to cut away rigging on boats that were tangled in each other but never had to help a sailor get free. That is not to say it could never happen and there are still good enough reasons to carry a knife.
So on carry a knife vs a multi tool. I have been looking for a good multi tool so I checked out the Gerber. Much nicer than the Leatherman- especially the T3 model
Thanks for the tip. Keep in mind though that, if
I am trapped I want to be able to grab ONE thing and open it with ONE hand. The Multi-tool probably serves a better purpose helping others but I wouldn't want to be holding my breath and trying to decide which blade to use
Gotta go order a T3 now. (This forum always costs me money
)
Happy sails from the old man and the sea