Ellen MacArthur wrote:
"Joe" wrote
| Yes, but work on deck may prevent that. In one case the guy was
| watching cargo slide on deck after tieing the line that snapped.
| We had headache rails on the boat to jump behind and be safe : Lika
| so..
| http://www.marcon.com/library/Sales_...005Sales/a.jpg

That's a very little picture, Joe. I guess your talking about those things that look like blue walls.

No...the blue "walls" are the bulkheads, it the pipe between the
bulkhead and deck

http://www.exmaroffshore.com/images/...0pix_75dpi.jpg simpler un
cluttered picture shows headache rails

Here is an anchor deck, thats what i did mostly is set anchors for the
semi's. See the guy standing under the headache rail?
http://www.bruceanchor.co.uk/Dennla.htm

If you scroll down that page it shows a deck loaded with anchors,
backdown bouys and rode, cable fixing to put a rig on station. See the
headache rail that run the length of the working deck? They are
nicknamed headache rails for the odvious reason.

| http://supplyboats.leefelterman.com/specs/osv116a.jpg
| see the big rails along the deck side, between the deck and bulwarks?

I see them.

| Thats were you go when **** starts shifting, then you can turn and
| look. See were the stern bits are?

I can't see the stern. It looks like the bow. Or did they put the pilot house right on the bow?

yes http://www.mossww.com/mossmaritime/i...isma-1JA-2.jpg

Maybe that's it. Most boats have the pilot house on the stern. Are those blue things sticking up the bits?

| A line goes up to each corner of a
| drilling platform and you set an anchor off your bow, you may be
| offloading and loading cargo for days on end. You have to work the
| deck, you can not hide all the time.

I thought a hawser was a rope for towing barges. I don't think lines to a platform would break.

think about 500-800 tons surging down q 12 ft wave, how much force
woulf it take to stop it?

If the lines did not break you might pull a rig over.

Unless there was a hurricane.... Before that you'd be away from there I'd expect.

| The second was a guy on a Fleet tug deck pulling on our ship to get
| her away from the dock in a typhoon.

You should have kedged it off. :-)

| IIRC it was this tug : http://www.msc.navy.mil/N00P/graphics/Mday4.jpg

Well golly! They DO put the pilot house right on the bow. Must be a bumpy ride in a storm.

| The guy was not in direct line when the 6" samson braid let go, he was
| on the stern quarter of the deck I think heading to dis-engage the
| brake as the line started to smoke.

It's a sad story. You can't be too careful. You can get squashed like a bug any time.

The guy who lost a leg was between two boats offshore

joe

| Not so, the larger the hawser the wider path of danger , the way the
| hawser parts, and it's braid, can make it go off at weird angles.

OK. I believe you now and I understand better. Thanks for a great post.

Cheers,
Ellen