Single Handed & Tiller Pilot

[dugout]

[quote="Warren Kaplan]

What about these emergency boarding ladders. The ladders that hang stored from the rail or lifeline with a trip line hanging overboard. You swim to the trip line, which is reachable from the water surface, pull that line, and the emergency ladder is deployed so you can climb up it, (obviously if you aren't too beat up from the fall).[/quote]

Warren, These might work if the boat is in a calm anchorage and one takes a mis-step. In any type of sea, even if you could get close to the boat, one is liable to get their skull crushed. A heaving hull is ominous from the water looking up! I went in the drink off the end of a spinnaker pole one night , don't ask, and even with full racing crew it was UGLY, I was scared, and totally drained of all strength! It was a great learning experience. I was young and dumb but much smarter after that.

Keep your center mass tethered, above and inside the rub rail. That is all there is to it. As John points out, once the body center mass passes over the rail it's game over, one way or another, unless you have a special deal cooked with your guardian angel.

Ed

[BillNH]

Agreed, not going over is 99 percent of staying alive. That said, when singlehanding I rig a two part trip line that hangs over the transom just above the water. One part is attached to the pin that lets the boarding ladder swing down when released and the other part pulls the tiller pilot off the pin on the tiller. While I fully understand that the likelihood of this ever saving my bacon is very slim, the cost is so minimal that I cannot justify ignoring such a simple precaution.

[Russell]

Agreed, not going over is 99 percent of staying alive. That said, when singlehanding I rig a two part trip line that hangs over the transom just above the water. One part is attached to the pin that lets the boarding ladder swing down when released and the other part pulls the tiller pilot off the pin on the tiller. While I fully understand that the likelihood of this ever saving my bacon is very slim, the cost is so minimal that I cannot justify ignoring such a simple precaution.

Bill, I gotta say you put that more aptly and diplomaticly then I ever could.

Very interesting thread.

Oh Neil, pulling in a dinghy at full speed, while difficult, does not even compare to trying to hold onto a line at full speed. A dinghy floats and is designed to be a boat that flows through water with minimal drag. The human body is so not that. Multiply the difficulty of pulling the dinghy in at speed by about 20, and you might get some idea. But, if you have trouble pulling the dinghy in and, and think about this, you may indeed be humbled without having to jump in the drink and try it for yourself.

The main point I was trying to make, was not that you shouldnt bother with measures like trip lines. But that no method you come up with will likely save your ass. Complacency due to false security is dangerous and I thought it important to drive in the point that no matter what you do, your likely a goner if you go overboard. But by all means, take those measures, however slim they might be at saving you, just need to realize how slim it really is. I carry a liferaft, epirb, ditch bag, all the safety gear you can imagine, chances I will ever need it? Pretty slim. But you wont catch me sailing very far offshore without them.

[Troy Scott]

For many years trains have had a "dead man throttle" to stop the train in the event the engineer is incapacitated. Why can't our autopilots sense when the single-hander is no longer aboard, and heave-to? The same sensor could trigger several other things: lines could be deployed in several directions, the boarding ladder could be dropped into position, a life-bouy could be launched, etc.. It could even drop the dinghy! After a user-programmable interval (determined after practicing with the system) automated distress signals could be sent out.
Thoughts?

[Sea Hunt]

Interesting thread indeed. I know a little about trying to climb back into a slow moving boat. Even with swim fins on and a low gunwale, it is a difficult maneuver that must be practiced. I cannot imagine being able to climb back into most sailboats that are under way even with a rope ladder or other emergency boarding ladder over the side. As mentioned, all of this would be complicated depending upon sea conditions and knot speed.

I’ve been in and around the water more than 40 years and I am a good swimmer, if I say so myself. In my judgment, there is no way I could climb aboard a moving sailboat even in calm seas. This does not suggest I would not make a 110% effort to succeed. It just means I know my limitations.

As they say, the best teacher is practice. If you think you can do it, anchor out in shallow water on a calm, sunny day, preferably with someone else aboard for safety. Have a nice cold bottle of water (or Gatorade) and drop a rope ladder or other emergency ladder over the side. Then jump in and try climbing up the rope ladder. Because the seas are calm and the boat is not moving, you can probably do it (with or without some difficulty). Now factor in a rough sea state, a moving boat and possibly being in a weakened condition from the cause of going overboard (hit by the boom for example). If you still think you can do it then I say more power to you. CAUTION: Just in case you cannot climb aboard with the emergency ladder, make sure your standard boarding ladder is deployed and secured.

As for trying to swim to catch up with a sailboat underway, this is, in judgment, impossible, except for possibly Michael Phelps. I am guessing the only way you could possibly catch up is if she went into irons and basically stalled out. I do not know this but I am told that eventually a boat will, on its own, come out of irons. If it does so after you have reached her and while you are trying to climb aboard your emergency rope ladder, well . . .

All of the above would seem to be complicated by the fact of being tethered to the boat when you go overboard and the location of the emergency ladder(s) in relation to where it is you are dangling along the side of your sailboat. If you go overboard near the bow and are dangling there and your emergency ladders are near the cockpit (which is where I have usually seen them), how would you get to your emergency ladder to deploy it Having an emergency release on the tether only means you will probably drop into the water. Your boat will sail away. Fortunately, I have no experience with this type of predicament. However, intuitively, it would seem to me that hanging precariously by a jack line and tether along the side while being dragged along (or in) the water would significantly reduce the chances of being able to deploy an emergency ladder, let alone trying to them climb aboard.

Fortunately, I do not (yet) have to think about these things. My sailing is presently confined to Biscayne Bay. I ALWAYS wear a PFD. If I fall overboard, it is a reasonably short swim to some point of land. As for S/V Tadpole, I have every confidence she will be just fine on her own until I can hitch a ride back out to retrieve her.

As an aside, it is an interesting thought about whether or not to wear a PFD when offshore and alone. Russell appears to suggest he would not because it would only prolong the inevitable. Possibly. I have absolutely no experience in offshore sailing. However, it seems to me that wearing a PFD increases your chances of being spotted by a passing vessel while still floating and breathing, even in the vast ocean. I would think you would want to do everything possible to increase your chances for being found. Just my 2 cents and, to be honest, my opinion is probably not worth even that.

Sorry for the long post. It's after midnight and I can't sleep.

[Neil Gordon]

Oh Neil, pulling in a dinghy at full speed, while difficult, does not even compare to trying to hold onto a line at full speed. A dinghy floats and is designed to be a boat that flows through water with minimal drag. The human body is so not that. Multiply the difficulty of pulling the dinghy in at speed by about 20, and you might get some idea. But, if you have trouble pulling the dinghy in and, and think about this, you may indeed be humbled without having to jump in the drink and try it for yourself.

Exactly.

As discussed in this thread: One thing about boarding ladders or deploying a stern swim ladder. In any sort of sea, even at a bumpy anchorage, if you don't die falling off or drown trying to get back to the boat, you will almost certainly get your skull crushed if you try to board at the stern.

[Neil Gordon]

For many years trains have had a "dead man throttle" to stop the train in the event the engineer is incapacitated. Why can't our autopilots sense when the single-hander is no longer aboard, and heave-to? The same sensor could trigger several other things: lines could be deployed in several directions, the boarding ladder could be dropped into position, a life-bouy could be launched, etc.. It could even drop the dinghy! After a user-programmable interval (determined after practicing with the system) automated distress signals could be sent out.
Thoughts?

You forgot deploying "oscar" at the port spreader.

You might also add that after the boat recovers your lifeless body, it will then bury you at sea with full honors. I'm liking the idea of staying on board.

I've done some Carribean sailing, close to shore, in a Sunfish. The nature of the boat, wind and waves is that you get knocked down here and there and it's not hard to end up in the water. I was never more than several yards from the boat, never hurt and unencumbered by excess clothing, yet my self recovery required considerable energy. A longer swim and a higher climb, combined with colder water and the drag of more clothing would not enhance the experience.

[John Vigor]

I mention this for what it's worth. I have a Westerbeke engine with a long throttle control lever in the cockpit that shuts down the engine when it's pushed all the way aft.

I have often thought of trailing a line attached to the end of this lever so that, if I fell into the water while motoring with the autopilot in charge and no sail set, I could grab the line in the water and kill the engine.

That would at least give me a chance of getting back to the boat and boarding.

John Vigor

[Troy Scott]

John Vigor,

You are right-on with this thinking. It would be just plain dumb to NOT do such a simple thing.

WRT climbing back on the boat: as long as the boat is stopped or moving very slowly, and the water isn't TOO rough, an average person can climb aboard using the swim ladder. It would probably be wise to install an additional (auto-deployable) swim ladder on the side at the center of pitching. That's why I suggested the auto heave-to idea. Can't hurt and might help. Why not?

Neil, You're absolutely right. I'll add Oscar to the design And I'll have it mix me a Margarita for when I get back on the boat. Actually I'll tie in to the water temperature sensor so the system can decide if hot cocoa might be a better choice. Seriously, I just don't see any sense in not giving myself every chance.

[Russell]

One thing I always wonder when people bring up trailing trip lines behind the boat. Any line I would deem long enough to give even a tiny chance of someone reaching (at least 100' I would think) would have so much drag in the water that wouldnt it accidentally trip the vane/enginestop/whatever just from the pull created by the drag?

[Jim Davis]

Russell

Agreed on the length and drag. Also I would add a lot of figgure eights, or overhand knots and a bowline at the end. This will increase the drag. Also it has to be big enough to give grip.

Perhaps a "deadman switch" as found on jet skis would work, but if you have to leave the cockpit it has been defeated.

This all goes back to the old adage "One hand for the ship, one hand for yourself" AKA Don't fall overboard.

[Troy Scott]

Russell,

Yes, it would. The tension on this line would vary a lot. Picking up a bit of seaweed might cause it to "trip". I had to retrieve and clean my old spring-loaded knotlog pretty often, because the trailing line would foul.

[S/V Necessity]

the added drag would be much welcome as it's easier to climb aboard a slow moving boat!

[Hud Smith]

Suppose you had a line over the stern to kill the engine or disengage the tiller pilot- and an added tiller line that went through a pulley on the combing, then joined the engine kill. Attach the tiller line close to the rudder post, so the drag of the line doesn't make it too hard to steer. But, if you're in the water, and can get to the trailing line, the added drag of your body would pull the tiller hard over and kill the engine?

[Bruce Barber]

I have one of your typical folding transom ladders; it's held up by a line that loops around the stern rail, then is tied to the step nearest the water, where it can be easily reached and untied from the water. This only solves the problem of getting back aboard after falling off, not the problem of GETTING TO the ladder, but it's nice knowing an emergency boarding ladder is always handy.