I got the impression that you did NOT want discussion on the subject, since you said there had already been a lot of discussion about this topic. I think discussion and debate about this is great.

For my part, I just did not understand the question on the survey. That's all. Purely a semantics thing. Surveys are very difficult to phrase properly, just like political polls.

If the question had asked, "Do you think sailors should be required to USE tethers on long distance races?", I would have had to answer no, because I don't think it is possible to REQUIRE anyone to use a tether or enforce that. But my answer would have made it sound like I am opposed to tethers, which I am definitely not.

If the question had asked, "Do you think sailors in long distance races should be required to have tethers aboard and connected to the boat?", I would have said "Yes." I think all sailors should be encouraged to use them offshore, and I think a tether should be part of the safety equipment.

It's kind of like life jackets. You can require all the sailors to HAVE them, but there is no way to enforce that they are going to actually WEAR them when they are out of sight.