On Mon, 13 Mar 2006 18:19:04 GMT, "Roger Long"
wrote:

Typically, one uses more than one line when going up the mast to
prevent just this sort of thing.

Are you sure it's "typical"?

It was always standard operating procedure on my sailboats. We never
clipped on either, always tied off the halyard with a bowline and
clipped the snap shackle only for redundancy.

Racing boats under way, that's a whole 'nother story. Some crazy
things go on there like free climbing the foreguy to trip off the
spinnaker, etc.