Jacklines and tethers, & Padeyes for them

[Jim Hardesty]

I'm going to use my safety tether more.  To this purpose I'm going to add jack lines and a place or two to clip-in in the cockpit.  I searched the site, found good information, but nothing very current.  Also got recommendations from "The Great Lakes Singlehanded Society".  Also good information.  
What have you sailors found to be the most convenient and best way to rig the jack lines?
Jim

[bayates]

Jim,

On our CAT 30 I added folding padeye's with a steel backing plate (and plywood spacer) in two spots for the tether.  For the jacklines I used the bow cleat and a locking carabiner (REI) to hook in the back.  Remember to keep some slack and stay inside the lifelines.  I am getting ready to do the same on our 2000 CAT 34.  The only issue I have yet to figure out is how to get to the ladder.  On the 30 I had it secured with velco and a strap that hung down so I could pull it down.  THe 34 is a little different.  What do others do or think?

[Mark Sutherland]

Hey Jim,  I don't have any pictures, but I'll try to describe what I do for a jack line.  First, I bought a yellow 40'(?) strap type jack line from WM.  You can start by tying it off at the bow cleat, or in my case, I tie it around my windlass.  I come back and take one wrap around the base of the mast.  This is where a picture would be better.  About half way back between the mast and the traveler, I've tied a "loop" in the jack line.  I run the jack line through the hollow center of my port side traveler bearing cluster, then back thru the "loop" above the center of the cabin top.  From there, I run the line thru the hollow center of my starboard traveler bearing cluster, from top thru and out the bottom.  The jack line is then routed back, along the starboard side, following the curve of the dodger, then tied off to my starboard stern cleat(once you get back to the cockpit, you can figure out where you tie it off.  
Regarding my teather, I have a "long" option, a "medium" option, and a "short" option.  Here's how the length options are achieved: I have a carabeener tied in the middle of the teather(you need to experiment with the exact proper location of the carabeener.  I can take measurements on mine if you want.)   When I crawl out of the cockpit, I connect the teather's end carabeener to the jack line, and the middle carabeener up to my harness.  This is the "medium" length.  When I arrive at the traveler, note that my end carabeener is behind the traveler, so my forward movement is inhibited.  So I kneel down, I disconnect the middle carabeener from my harness and attach it to jack line(this is "short" mode.  I then disconnect the the end carabeener from behind the traveler and reattach it to the jack line in FRONT of the traveler.  I then remove the middle carabeener from behind the traveler and reattach it to my harness(medium length mode).  I can then make my way to the mast.  My "medium" length mode allows me to stand so I can work the main, but is short enough so that I can't possible fall over the life lines(keep in mind I'm now attached to the section of the jack line that is in the MIDDLE of the boat, so I can't reach the life lines... no way I'm going overboard).  You can figure out the rest.  Note that I've only left myself one way back to the cockpit, ie via the starboard side of the boat.  You can rig a line down the port side, but I don't find it worth the effort.  The reason I rigged the line down the starboard side is because I'm always on a starboard tack when I go up on deck, usually to reef the main.  I ALWAYS want to be on starboard tack when reefing so that I minimize the chance of being forced to tack while I'm on deck with my wife at the wheel.  I want to keep things as simple as possible during reefing, no surprise tacking because someone else has right of way on me.   Note that I'm ALWAYS attached to the jack line by using both carabeeners; one is always attached.   You never know when you'll get unexpectedly tossed, so best to be attached during transitions with the carabeeners.  Hope this helped.  I'll try to remember to take some pictures this weekend.  

[waterdog]

My approach is a little different.  Mine just keep me attached to the boat. No guarantee that i wont go overboard.  Might rethink it for solo.  I run a jackline from stern cleat to bow cleat and have a free run the length of the deck.   In the cockpit, i run a strap from eyenuts on the companionway stair brackets to padeyes in the footwells.

So at night we clip in before getting in the cockpit and are free to easilly go behind the wheel.  No chance of going overboard from the cockpit and no need to mess around unclipping/reclipping to move about.  Reefing is a single handed affair from the cockpit.  Going forward at night means waking up the off watch because something has hit the fan. We dont fly a spin at night short handed. 

[Stu Jackson]

I run a jackline from stern cleat to bow cleat and have a free run the length of the deck.   In the cockpit, i run a strap from eyenuts on the companionway stair brackets to padeyes in the footwells.

I run the jackline that way, too.  Bowline thru the bow cleat, regular hitch over the stern cleat, inside the shrouds.  We have a U bolt forward of the binnacle on the cockpit sole.

[Les Luzar]

Can you guys send in some pictures of these locations? I am thinking of adding padeyes for jacklines but not sure exactly where. It would be interesting to compare others ideas for locations.

Les

[Mark Sutherland]

If I'm following you guys correctly, you are running your jack line down the side deck of your boat, correct?  I know tethers and jacklines are a heavily debatable topic.  My concern is with the jack line so close to the life lines, what challenges might we be dealing with once we've gone over the life lines?  Is there a risk of injury from being beaten against the side of our moving hull, espicially if the seas are rough?  Is there an unacceptable risk of drowning?  Is reboarding the boat going to be practical, especially if injured?  I don't have good answers to these questions, but I'm interested in hearing your opinions.  In the mean time, I'm going to stick with my jack line down the center of the boat as much as possible. 

[Stu Jackson]

Mark,

You're right, this is a very sometimes controversial topic.  I just did a Google on "jacklines and tethers" and if you do so you'll have enough reading to make your eyeballs pop!   

Really, try it, 'cuz there are many points of view from armchair sailors to folks who have actually been there done that.

Your question hit all the hot buttons.

[waterdog]

If I'm following you guys correctly, you are running your jack line down the side deck of your boat, correct?  

Absolutely.   It's tricky business.  There are tradeoffs to consider.    And you have to think about what you are protecting.   For me, separation from the boat is the critical issue.    My crew has a good chance of getting my banged up body aboard if I'm still attached by a tether.   All bets are off if I am floating free.  That's paramount.

Above and beyond that, it would be really nice not to go over in the first place.   It's actually a lot harder to prevent than it might seem.  

Biggest points of vulnerability are coming around the dodger (jackline over the top in the middle?) and the wide open expanse of the foredeck.  

For me, I want a clear path to go forward.   I clip my short lead to the deck line before unclipping the long lead from the cockpit, and I don't touch anything all the way forward.   In other words I've got hands on grabrails through the journey rather than clipping/unclipping tethers.    

Ease of use is actually important.   It's the time you think "conditions aren't that bad, I'll just go free that sheet - no need to clip in" that you might get separated from your boat.    So if it's easy to use, it's more likely to get used.  

All my tethers have a knife taped to them.  All my vests have a harness and a strobe.  

This is definitely one of those areas where you need to think it through and find what works on your boat and understand why you make the choices that you do.    

I've done the round up surfing the ten foot seas and had to go onto the pitching foredeck to cut the snarled sheet.   Stuff happens fast and that isn't the time to be thinking about your safety systems - that's when you need to depend on your preparations.

[ozzie]

I have nearly gone overboard sliding across the cabin top and I grabbed the halyards to stop myself as I was on my way out hanging my boots in the water. It was 4pm on a sunny day at the end of May in the Straight of Juan de Fuca and I wasn't clipped on. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger/smarter right? The boat wasn't a C34, but it doesn't matter you can fall off any boat.
We use webbing straps that start at a forward cleat and run down each side of the deck which dead end at the aft cleats. It is a bit of an issue when you come to the genoa block where you have to reclip. I use a Wichard double extendable tether so I am never separated from the boat with an auto inflate pfd/harness. I also have a regular strap style harness which I wear over my floater suit.
At the start of the season we do a man overboard drill throwing a fender overboard. We also do a drill before any overnight races and check that the crew has the correct gear and know how to use it. One of the most import things is to have someone besides yourself who can handle the boat and take control in a man overboard situation because it could be your ass in the water with a bunch of rookies trying to get you back on.

Dave.

[Ralph Masters]

For all those, like myself, who don't think about this kind of stuff please read the attached article.  Just copy and paste this to your browser

http://news.yahoo.com/yacht-debris-bodies-found-off-us-mexico-coast-000503013--spt.html

Ralph

[Meerkata]

Related issue...what do you use to haul a person/body onboard from the water?
We use a snatch lock on the end of the boom, run down to a snatch lock at a station base, then to the jib winch. Setup can be deployed in 30 seconds, and is very reliable, can lift a giants weight out of the water.
Jim

[efhughes3]

Latitude has been covering the race accident as well-so tragic:

http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/lectronicday.lasso?date=2012-04-30#.T59NgxB5mSM

[scotty]

A lot of thoughts have been shared in the SF Bay area due to the tragedy of the recent Farallons Race.  I'd like to share the boat rule of "Paradise":

"All crew will tether into jack lines, or a structural support, when on deck or in the cockpit when sailing at night or in rough weather.  Crew going forward will jack-in if the weather is questionable.  When I am single-handing or sailing with an inexperienced crew, I will be jacked in"

What is "rough weather"?  It is a combination of wave height (6 ft gets me looking), sea state (washing machine?), wind (25 knots really catches my attention) and crew experience. Also if there is something that just seems "iffy".   "Questionable" uses the same criteria, but at a lower threshold.

I rig a web strap (easier for walking than line) from the bow cleat to the stern cleat on both sides of the boat.  A 45 foot strap allows extra strapping for me to tie a loop at the stern cleat that touches the waterline, and an end piece (which has a large loop) that almost touches the waterline.  This will (hopefully) allow me to wrap a leg into the loop and use the end piece to try and pull myself up.  I know that many people like to rig the jack line down the centerline of the boat, but with the dodger I am more comfortable with the two side method.  With a 6 foot tether, I can go from stern to bow and reach most boom and mast areas, and never unstrap.  The disadvantage is that it is possible to be flipped over the life lines.  I also carry a LifeSling system with a block that can be attached to the boom.  I also have a horseshoe tied to a man overboard pole.  There is a line from the center of the stern ladder which touches the water and allows the ladder to be deployed from the water.

My thinking (as I explain in the boat safety discussion for new crew) is that if you go overboard, you probably die. (we have 50 degree water).  Never count on the tether to keep you on the boat.  One hand for yourself, one hand for the boat!!  Watch where you place your feet and be vigilant about boat and sea motion. I remember when I was a kid that when my Dad would catch us not holding on he always make us say  -- One hand for the boat, one hand for yourself!!!  (I make a bit of a game of having crew tell me what my Dad used to say if they need reminding to hold on.)  However, the tether just might keep you close to the boat - which is a whole lot better than watching the boat sail away - allowing a quick (God willing) recovery.

[Mike and Joanne Stimmler]

Another related issue for getting a person back on board, if the person overboard is conscious and able to assist, you can take a dock line, put one end on the aft cleat, allow a long loop down in the water for the person to stand on and wrap the free end around a winch and just winch him up as he stands on the loop. This can be done very quickly but as I said, the person must be able to assist, hold on, and so forth.

Mike