"Larry" wrote in message
...

Try this and see how you come out.....

Take out your usual crew of people, some partially sailors, some not,

Take her out in the harbor to a big open area with few boats you might
endanger.

Jump overboard from your lofty helm perch and start frantically screaming
and waving your arms in distress. Click the stopwatch on your diver's
Rolex Oyster to time this event.

Watch the reaction from back aboard by your crack crew of wife, kids,
friends, business associates and those still drinking your beer.

How long was it before they got her turned around and came effortlessly
alongside your position to retrieve you, using the finest navigation and
methods of retrieval?


I've actually experienced this scenario almost exactly, though it was my
crazy brother- not me- who dived off the boat unexpectedly, and it was not
in a "big open area with few boats"

We were heading out for a race, had just hoisted the mainsail when the winch
barrel on an old Barlow 16 winch popped of and rolled over the side (they
had a spring loaded retaining mechanism which was hopeless). The crew
consisted of my brother and myself (both with many years of racing and
cruising experience) and a friend who had been out sailing a couple of
times.

As the winch barrel rolled over, out of the corner of my eye, I saw my
brother dive in after it! We were in the middle of the channel leading out
of the boat harbour with maybe 10-12 other boats heading out to the start- a
few had to dodge him. He had actually grabbed it and was holding the winch
barrel aloft like a prize.

After the first few seconds of stunned disbelief, I explained to Graeme, my
inexperienced crewman, how to drop the mainsail, we dropped it, started the
diesel (there was no manoeuvring room in the channel to sail) and motored
back to get my idiot brother. Total time about 3 minutes.

I had been planning to replace that crappy old winch for some time, but,
because it was there, hadn't bothered. It would have been an ideal
opportunity- but it was still there when I sold the boat a couple of years
later.

Surprisingly, I still go sailing with my brother.

Peter HK