I'm going to be doing more sailing alone and that creeps me out a little. I'm reluctant to trapeze at all when off shore.

Did we ever figure out a system to keep from being separated from the boat? What sort of harness/line combo do the leaners use?

I bought a climbing carabiner to hook onto my harness and run the mainsheet through. Haven't tested it yet, should work.....

Pete,

When the stuff was knarly enough during the T500 to hook up (wasn't back in 2009 the last time I did it) the safety line, I used two carabiners with about 25' of high-tech line cover with a about a 15' bungee inside of it. This "scrunched up" the line to make it more manageable on the tramp.

More importantly though is that I had a knife on my lifejacket that I could easily get to in case I got dragged by the tether. I still don't like the idea of the tether but I can see how they can add a degree of comfort to some.

Its scary watching your boat float away with no one on it. Especially if you don't even have somebody else to go; "hey, is that a shark?", to.

I'm thinking 10'-15' of line, a large stainless ring on the maind sheet, located between the beam and traveler (or maybe located in front of the traveler cleat), then attached to my harness with a carabiner.

Pine Island sound has a dense shark population, it is a nursery for five different species, iirc. Also, large hammerheads are legendary in Boca Grande Pass. But my real worry is hypothermia.

I think hooking up to the mainsheet would not be smart. You fall off and your weight in the water will just sheet the main in to drag you in the water faster.

Yes, but wouldn't that tip the boat over? That was the plan...

Maybe, but if you fall off on the windward side your weight would still be on the windward side. The sheets may go around back, but there is a lot of stuff to go around. Why not do some tests for us - hook up your system, get the boat going and just drop off the trap and see what happens. Try it on different points of sail and get someone in a power boat or jet ski to follow you. Then let us all know so we will finally have an answer to this question.

There's an idea!!

The first time I did this yes, it sheeted in the main and off I went for a little ride - it was slow, but no fun. Fortunately I was aft and was able to turn the rudders to get the boat pointing into the wind. It also tweaked my back a little bit

With that I added about 10' feet of main sheet/traveler line and this seem to fix the issue. The second time, I had a "can't miss" trap hook fail and in I went. Boat drug me along for a few yards and the headed up wind to a stop. My boat at the time (Prindle 18-2) also had a little weather helm.

i have tested this... my "can't miss" trap ring broke (the cable inside it rusted) and i fell off in about 15..

if i hadn't held the main... the boat would have left me.. i held tight, it sheeted as it took off and capsized...

i think it may make sense to carry flares and a vhf ON YOUR PERSON (along with a knife) if you plan to solo more than eyeshot off shore

Aren't you the guy that leaves his PFD on the deck most of the time?

I would think that as a single hander, having the main sheet in if I fell off would eventually cause the boat to head up or flip over, both of which would be better than have it sail happily off on its own.

The caribeaner through the mainsheet/traveler sounds easy enough as long as it won't turn into a tangled mess during transitions. If you're racing, it's probably not needed as others will be on the course. If you're cruising, you probably don't need to worry about a mess as you will be planning your transitions well in advance and executing them rather slowly (and less frequently) in comparison.

I used to have a windsurfing uphaul "scrunchy" that was similar to the custom bungee described above. I guess the question is where would you attach it on your person? Perhaps a coastal cruising safety harness would be appropriate (under the PFD?)

If you're out there single handing, a PFD on your person is a must, especially since your F16 has a boom (or "ow-ie" as the toddler calls it) and you COULD face the possibility of having your "bell rung" if conditions went sideways while you were out (unforseen T-storm, running by the lee to make a drawbridge or tight channel, etc). It also reduces the chance of drowning due to alleged hypothermia (which someone posted some video research that showed people usually die of cold water shock/drowning long before they are considered hypothermic).

In any case, this is a good topic to discuss Pete... Perhaps one day I too shall regain the freedom and joy of coastal cruising around this beautiful coastline... I guess part of this hinges on getting hold of Stefan...

I never hooked it up but i have a system built into my astral lift jacket that was intended for towing kayaks. It's a strap around e vest with a ring and a quick release buckle. E ring has a piece of small line tied to it which is then coiled into a small pouch on the side of the jacket that is held closed with a zipper. I kept a carbiner on the end of that line for clipping unti the boat or tossing the line. Ideally, if clipped in and separated, the line would uncoil from the pouch until taught and i could still get free by pulling a quick release ball in the jacket.

I like the quick release function on that... in case for some reason you do need to disconnect and let the boat go....

another thing that you might want to consider about attaching to the mainsheet is the potential damage done to the rudder and steering system. Getting back to a boat that has no steerage because your safety line made your crossbar a two-piece kit might not be the best solution possible!

There is a very good chance, that the boat goes not over if you sheet in and hang on line over the winward hull. I have tested it with a H15, me on the main sheet and my crew on the tiller extension - behind the boat and going 10kts or so. I know also from an A-cat which went some miles without crew until it capsized...
Personally I don't like to be tethered to the boat, there is always the risk to get tangeled once capsized.
My rule is, have always a sheet in the hand. And I mean always. Have communication device(s) on you, not on the boat. Tell people that you are sailing. Exercise capsizing until you have confidence in your abilities.

Cheers,

Klaus

Sadly, I have field tested this (more than once), indirectly...

If you fall off the windward side of the boat and don't let go of the mainsheet, you will end up behind the boat, and the boat will stop. If you're lucky, it might round up and not flip, but if it's windy, it will likely capsize. Either way, better than floating in the water with no boat around.

Mike

How about leading the safety line forward from the main blocks? I have some grommets in my tramp in line with the shrouds, more or less. Put a heavy line through the grommets, a good stout ss ring on that line and run the safety line through the ring, to the harness. Then, if you go overboard the safety line, hopefully won't destroy the steering link. If you experiment a little with the length of the safety line, you'd be bobbing along near the rudders and, hopefully, could bring the boat head to wind.

I don't think you would want a safety line attached to the tramp. I don't think the tramp would be able to take it unless you included a ton of the tramp. Quick release on the attachment to your harness would be key. A knife is necessary... but pulling a release shackle is a quicker and less error prone way to go. I don't know where I would attach it really.... maybe where the upper blocks attach to the boom?