DSK wrote:



I don't think this is necessarily a bad idea but having an extra tether
banging around & catching on things does not appeal to me. Why not have
just 1 the right length?


The idea is to be able to clip onto a new work point before you unclip
the last point. Anyone who has worked in rough weather on an open deck
knows how wise this is!

Cheers

In article ,
Nav wrote:


DSK wrote:



I don't think this is necessarily a bad idea but having an extra tether
banging around & catching on things does not appeal to me. Why not have
just 1 the right length?


The idea is to be able to clip onto a new work point before you unclip
the last point. Anyone who has worked in rough weather on an open deck
knows how wise this is!

Yup... typically we'll have a short one and a longer one.


--
Jonathan Ganz (j gan z @ $ail no w.c=o=m)
http://www.sailnow.com
"If there's no wind, row."

So the question is: ""What is the right length?" Consider fore deck,
stays'l area, mast, vang, cockpit and stern areas. I have two on my harness
but the idea of one on the mast at least in the much shorter length needed
appealed to me.

That's the new question. How many? What length? Is there a perfect length
for all situations? If not . . .what is your recommendation?

M.


"Nav" wrote in message
...


DSK wrote:



I don't think this is necessarily a bad idea but having an extra tether
banging around & catching on things does not appeal to me. Why not have
just 1 the right length?


The idea is to be able to clip onto a new work point before you unclip
the last point. Anyone who has worked in rough weather on an open deck
knows how wise this is!

Cheers

How about this, both elasticated, one 30" longer than the height of your
harness to the ground the other 30"? The longer one should be clipped at
both ends and the shorter one attached to the harness clip of the longer
one. A double harness line may also help you get back aboard if you go
over the edge. By reaching up an clipping to the toe rail with the other
end you free a loop which you can use to help you up.

Cheers

Michael wrote:

So the question is: ""What is the right length?" Consider fore deck,
stays'l area, mast, vang, cockpit and stern areas. I have two on my harness
but the idea of one on the mast at least in the much shorter length needed
appealed to me.

That's the new question. How many? What length? Is there a perfect length
for all situations? If not . . .what is your recommendation?

M.


"Nav" wrote in message
...


DSK wrote:



I don't think this is necessarily a bad idea but having an extra tether
banging around & catching on things does not appeal to me. Why not have
just 1 the right length?


The idea is to be able to clip onto a new work point before you unclip
the last point. Anyone who has worked in rough weather on an open deck
knows how wise this is!

Cheers

"Scott Vernon" wrote in message
...
"Bart Senior" wrote

I picked these up after I almost lost a crew overboard. She was
hanging onto the shrouds being dragged through the water.

You really need to get a head on your shoulders.

I've corrected your spelling mistake.

Regards


Donal
--

Michael wrote:
So the question is: ""What is the right length?" Consider fore deck,
stays'l area, mast, vang, cockpit and stern areas.

Do you have to go out on a stern deck, or just in the cockpit & forward?

It's nice to have a padeye to secure to in the cockpit, but it should
(on most boats) be possible to lead a jackstay aft well enough to hook
on as you're standing in the companionway, and stay secured in the
cockpit. It's true that many boats are not practical for this, but then
many boats are overly praised as being super-seaworthy without attention
to detail like this.


... I have two on my harness
but the idea of one on the mast at least in the much shorter length needed
appealed to me.

"Much shorter" as in about a foot or so? That might be nice for working
at the mast, but it wouldn't give you much range of motion. If you have
to stop & unhook & rehook (or vice versa) every time you have to reach
for something, then every deck evolution will be very slow & cumbersome.
Stupid fiddle-faddle like this is why so many people give up on
harnesses... and a certain percent of them are lost...


That's the new question. How many? What length? Is there a perfect length
for all situations? If not . . .what is your recommendation?

I'd recommend one just slightly longer than knee length, and jacklines
from a point well aft to within reaching distance of the bow. Sweat them
down really tight. Yes your tether hook will bang up the deck, but you
can't have everything.

The one time I wore a harness with two tethers (both about 6' long, too
much IMHO), it was necessary... and the second tether was a total PITA.
It got tangled on everything. Eventually I tucked it into my bibs. I
have (and have used on a few other occasions) a harness with one
tether... just a bit shy of 5' long, including a shock-absorbing gather
(which IMHO is a frill.. part of the reason to have a shorter tether is
so that you don't go flying or falling anywhere).

"Nav" wrote in message
The idea is to be able to clip onto a new work point before you unclip
the last point. Anyone who has worked in rough weather on an open deck
knows how wise this is!

"Open deck" as in an Etchells?
;)

Actually, one good use for a second tether would be to hook onto a pad
eye right at your station, so that if the bow goes in hard you won't be
swept the full length of the deck. But that's a rather special case of
"rough weather" and would, for a cruiser, show bad planning more than
anything else IMHO. Admittedly my opinions are not 100% orthodox but I
came by them after a long period of trying to make theory & old wives
tales work as well in practice as they do on chalk boards & story time.

FWIW the vast majority of passagemakers spend less than 5% of their time
in wind over 30 knots... most never see more than 40. A 40 knot blow
ought not be stuffing the bow unless the boat is really unsuitable or
very badly handled. This BTW is fact rather than my opinion.

And there you have it... basically, it's a good example of the old
saying, "if you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough."

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Nav wrote:
...A double harness line may also help you get back aboard if you go
over the edge.

This is *really* bad advice, based on old wives tales.

A harness tether should be short enough to keep you from going over the
side. The odds are high that if you go over the side in very rough
conditions, you will be badly injured and/or drown before you... or
anybody else... can do a thing to assist.

DSK

It's not advice but an observation. If you are not alone, the spare hook
also makes snapping on a halyard a breeze.

Cheers



DSK wrote:

Nav wrote:

...A double harness line may also help you get back aboard if you go
over the edge.


This is *really* bad advice, based on old wives tales.

A harness tether should be short enough to keep you from going over the
side. The odds are high that if you go over the side in very rough
conditions, you will be badly injured and/or drown before you... or
anybody else... can do a thing to assist.

DSK

Nav wrote:
... If you are not alone, the spare hook
also makes snapping on a halyard a breeze.

How so?

DSK

The man is held onto the boat by one line -leaving the other free. You
take a halyard and he or you can snap the other harness line to it. Can
then lift him out of the water with a halyard winch.


Cheers


DSK wrote:

Nav wrote:

... If you are not alone, the spare hook also makes snapping on a
halyard a breeze.


How so?

DSK