I think the qualification that Steve mentioned is the key here:



The issue in my mind is not whether either of the two scenarios - 1 or 2-up - is safe on their own, but whether there are safety measures available that allow the risks to be controlled.

What appropriate safety measures would you recommend for the person who may end up bobbing alone in a large body of cold water, his boat long gone and no other boat traffic in the vicinity?

The extreme case is individual chase boats - Michael Blackburn who sailed 115 miles across Bass Strait in a Laser last week is a case in point. But other measures would be - on-sailor vhf radio, personal EPIRB, flares, drinking water, and boat tether.

As I noted in my earlier post, the objective is not to eliminate risk, but to control it.

Why not use a teather, or leash like on a surfboard or a single handed big boat?