The proper setup for the line overboard is to have it release the autopilot and
head the boat into the wind. Of course, this is easier to imagine that with an
old mechanical self steering rig, not a modern autohelm. And a CD 36 is rather
hard to coax off its course.

Many years ago we took turns being dragged behind a 40 footer doing about 6
knots - I can't imagine being able to pull back to the boat against in that
situation.




wrote in message
...
On Wed, 30 Jun 2004 21:59:54 +1000, OzOne wrote:

On Wed, 30 Jun 2004 07:34:34 -0400, Martin Baxter
scribbled thusly:

wrote:

O


Highly unlikely that you were able to grab a 15 foot line at that speed,
much
less hang on and pull yourself back to the boat. By the time you hit the
water
and spun, the line was already gone.

BB

Bingo! BB wins the cupie doll! Anybody here ever tried this trick? Even if
you do it on purpose,
just to see, it's pretty much impossible even with a 25 foot line. Before
anyone hangs a line of
their stern and thinks that this is a substitute for proper seamanship they
should try it, with someone
still on the boat to drive of course, your illusions of safety will be
quickly evaporated.

Cheers
Marty

We have to assume that in this case the line was caught and
held...make it 100' long if you wish.



The facts were given as a 15 foot line. You can't assume it to be
anything else, anymore than you can assume it all happened on dry land
with a boat that was not moving.

Just for fun, drag a 200 foot rope behind a boat that is traveling at
4.5 knots. Make it a 500 foot rope if you prefer. Jump overboard and
grab it while in the water. Then see if you can pull yourself back to
the boat. You can't. Jack LaLanne in his prime couldn't do it. Neither
could Buster Crabb, Mike Tyson or Ahnold the Barbarian. Ain't gonna
happen.

BB