I singlehand a lot ... admittedly on an inland lake where problems are significantly reduced ... but I've paid a lot of attention and thought to this.
There was a great thread on this topic over on catalinaowners.com, the "Ask All Sailers" forum, just recently. Relative to previous comments here are the following: 1. Anecdotal evidence that a trailing line probably won't work. Several posters noted the difficulty of pulling themselves back to the boat even in ghosting conditions. At any speed, it's not going to happen. 2. Getting back on the boat even if you're clipped on can be a major problem, especially if you go over on the high side. Tether and jackline design has to try to keep you ON the boat, not just ATTACHED to the boat. Related problems were: shackles that wouldn't open under the (very high) pressure as you're being drug through the water, getting back to the swim ladder, getting the swim ladder unhooked, etc., all while sailing along at a good clip. The bottom line seemed to be that if you go past the lifelines, you're in real trouble, either from hypothermia while floating around watching your boat sail away, or exhaustion trying to get back aboard. I'm doing some major redesign of the way I sail this winter cause there are too many holes in the way I'm doing it now. Tom Monroe 6219 Different Drummer >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 12/05/05 7:55 AM >>> Okay.. Let me know.
