Three Sailing Channels Trying to Kill You - Sailor’s Debrief 107

Sailing safety is critical, and the choices of equipment and its usage can significantly impact on the chances of survival in an emergency. While the harnesses on life vests are essential, the tethers, which keep you attached to the boat, secured incorrectly, can be a matter of life or death. The harness on the life vest (PFD) meets ISO and/or USCG load bearing standards and are specific designed for that purpose.

A quick-release tether or Harness Release System (HRS) is generally considered safer than a line tied to a life vest or harness. Specifically, tying a line to a life-vest will most likely tear the vest apart and separate the person from the vest.

Further more, studies have proven that a line tied directly to a life vest or harness creates a significant entanglement risk and dragging and drowning risk. In the event of a fall overboard or capsizing the sailboat, sailors can be quickly and fatally trapped or dragged to death. The victim may find themselves inverted, unable to reach the water's surface, or be able to create enough force needed to cut a line with a knife while under water.

Conversely, a quick-release tether offers a crucial safety advantage. Designed to detach when tripped, it prevents the wearer from becoming ensnared or dragged. In emergency situations, the tether can be easily released, allowing the individual to swim freely and reach the surface. This added mobility can mean the difference between life and death.

Furthermore, a tied-down life vest can impede rescue efforts. Rescuers may encounter difficulties in freeing the victim from the entanglement, wasting precious time. A quick-release tether eliminates this obstacle, enabling rescuers to focus on bringing the individual to safety.

A quick-release tether prioritizes safety and mobility, reducing the risk of drowning and facilitating rescue. It is essential for individuals engaging in sailing to understand the implications of their equipment choices and to opt for the safest option available. A quick-release snap shackle at the harness end of a tether is especially important in case the wearer becomes trapped under an inverted boat (as happened in the 1998 Sydney-Hobart Race) or in a tight spot, like on the wrong side of a jib sheet.

Disclaimer: The information provided here is intended for general knowledge and informational purposes only. This information is extracted from World Sailing Offshore Special Regulations (OSRs). Always prioritize safety and consult with experts or relevant authorities for specific guidance related to your situation.

Links to the channels

Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.

Thanks to US Sailing

Cruising Club of America

World Sailing

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0:00 Intro
00:45 learn how to sail safe (Sailing Rules)
01:18 Popular Sailing Channels are trying to kill you
02:00 Sailing Safety equipment
02:15 improper life vest and tether (West Marine Brand Ambassador)
02:38 Dragging off of a sailboat
02:56 Catalina 22 Lifeline Danger
03:28 Man Overboard gone very wrong advice
04:00 Dangerous Sailing techniques
04:30 USCG Life Vest PFD approved
05:00 Sailing Channels and very bad Life jackets
05:26 Life Jacket Tethers, How to
06:00 How to sail with a Jack line
06:30 How to sail Safe
07:00 How far can you swim in cold water
07:20 Hypothermia death and sailing
07:48 How old does a child have to be to wear a life vest
08:10 three sailing safety tips
08:35 Proven sailing safety equipment
08:50 US Sailing Safety at Sea
#sailing #boat #ocean #sailboat #boatlife #offshoresailing #barkarate #boating #extremesailing #barkarateconversations

[major_west]

I'm a avid swimmer, doing 1/2 mile every day in a pool. I struggled to finish a 1 mile open water swim in 65 degree water, as hypothermia started to shut down my muscles after 30 minutes. There's no way an average person can swim 1 mile in 60 degree water.

[johnmosesbrowning]

When it comes to safety equipment I always remember what a Austrian Mountain Rescue guy once said: expensive mountaineering equipment last up to ten years. Cheap mountaineering equipment last a lifetime. 😂😂😂

[ChrisinOSMS]

I had an older coworker who spent his life on the water from the time he was a toddler. Never wore a life jacket, so one solo fishing trip he went forward to set the anchor when he lost his balance and toppled overboard. His boat at the time had no boarding ladder and he discovered that his older self wasn’t that spry guy of his youth that could pull himself over the gunnel anymore. As he bobbed up and down treading water, he realized how badly he screwed up. Thankfully he was a problem solver and managed to walk up the anchor rode to put enough slack in it to throw it around a stern cleat and use it like a manrope to climb aboard. He now wears an inflatable vest whenever he is underway and puts a stern line overboard and moves a ladder close to the gunnel before moving forward to set the hook.

[RebootTheCatamaran]

We’ve dragged a line behind our catamaran while under sail, and you absolutely cannot pull yourself back onboard if the boat is going faster than 3 kts. It was quite an eye opening experience, and we were glad we practiced this in safe conditions and good weather so we really understood just how important it was.

[robinwells]

I was lucky enough to survive and learn young the hard way. Five pints of Guinness no life jacket and a sailing dinghy blended with a summer squall. The tiller ripped out of the transom and the boat was immediately uncontrollable. It capsized and no I had not tied off the dagger board.
Someone happened to be walking on the beach and saw me. I had managed to wedge my hand in the centre board slot so I didn’t slip in when I lost consciousness. Did I mention my dog? No? He clawed his way to safety, thank god, up my back which looked like I had been given fifty lashes.
I was unconscious when rescue arrived and the hull was covered in my blood. You don’t need any safety equipment until you need it all. The only reason I survived was because the barmaid was worried that I was being stupid. She was so right.

[robertpendzick]

The best sailors make it back to shore alive, with their boat. Great introduction on what and how to accomplish this.

[darthkek]

Here's something a life-raft packer / inspector said on Tom Clunliffe's Yachts & Yarns channel, I'll try to quote. "It's not even about how good a swimmer you are. _If you get thrown into the English seas (English Channel, Irish Sea, North Sea, etc.) they're all very cold. You get submerged and your first instinct is to gasp in shock due to the cold, and then you're in real trouble._ And that's something to bear in mind worldwide. Safety equipment is not only there to help you out in the best-case scenario, it's also there for the worst case unexpected "unpredictable" scenarios. Use the right kit, all the time, every time - or else! Another thing eSysMan (the superyacht crew channel guy) says is he, and every colleague he knows, know of NOT ONE instance where the owner (and their family) has gone through emergency safety procedures. Every crew has (by law). But owners are "above" such things and captains - hired hands - never press them on it. The owner of the Bayesian died along with almost his entire family. Would emergency procedure protocol training have saved their lives? We don't know and likely will never know for certain, but what we DO know for certain is the training would only have increased their chances of survival, it wouldn't have diminished them one iota.

[paulgillard]

I have fallen off at 6 knots fully clothed and managed to grab the webbing side handle on the inflatable that was being towed behind the yacht. I can tell you at the age of 25 being fit and strong there was no way I could maintain my grip as the drag through the water fully clothed was substantial. I was not tethered on. Fortunately for me the skipper brought the yacht round and got me. It was on an inland waterway in 15c temp. I learnt my lesson and was lucky. Now in my 60s and sailing mainly 2 handed our setup is as this gentleman states. Any other way I know I am toast if I end up overboard.

[motorvN]

My favourite tongue-in-cheek saying for awhile now has been - “When your draft exceeds your depth, you are most assuredly aground....” It works in more than the literal sense too.
I’ve got near on 50 years both power and sail but the moment you think you know it all is the moment you create a massive blind spot for yourself.
Working as a transportation safety investigator I have heard all manner of inane statements about how prepared people thought they were...right up to the moment the universe smacked them down hard.
Can you be too safe? Possibly. You want to find that out definitely the same instant you realize you’ll never see your kids again? Sadly many have.

[japc]

Hooray! I still can't believe there are sailors who think they could swim to the back of a moving boat in a MOB situation using a lifeline. The best advice you gave was, stay and plan on staying on the boat in the first place. I have known sailors who have said they would rather drown then float off into the abyss, I have countered I would rather use a centerline safety line and snug it to always stay on top and have a lifejacket on. To drown within sight of land because you don't believe in the best practices, just crazy. Thank you! John

[CCaddy]

Happy to always listen to Christian Williams! So much more than sailing can be learned from Mr. Williams! Scray, serious stuff here your teaching, but good to keep people on their toes I guess.

[tonybodlovic]

As a sailor of forty years; I completely agree that your tether should keep you 'on' the boat; Even if you're not solo, yachts are heavy, moving objects. Every now and then, you'll get a wave that unbalances you.

[bobgaysummerland]

One year I was in the double handed Farallon island race. If i recall correctly 4 died; two of which alongside their boats. Dragged and drowned. Knowing what to do, how to rig and recover are crucial. .

[haydenwatson]

I agree with most of your points but take exception to the one on Christian Williams Sailing @5:25. He is a solo ocean sailor and for him, if he goes into the water while underway, I life jacket will make no difference and arguably would greatly decrease any possibility of pulling himself back on board. What he is showing with a harness and short tether is his only chance for self-rescue which is slim to none. Basically, he much stay on board or die, period.
When I solo sail in the inland Salish Sea [western WA and BC], I wear my inflatable offshore rated inflatable with harness and my Sospenders Double and use the 3' tether. The short tether to hopefully keep me on board and the quick release to not get dragged if I go over. I would then hope that another boater would see me although that is a faint hope. I really should get a PLB and attach it to my life jacket.

[SailingTeamTallyHo]

very important message, thanks. Great venue you're at! As a former manager of a large charter fleet as well as many decades of sailing in cold water, dismastings and students/customers that later ended up in tragic situations, your messages rings true.

[williamwiseman]

I was on a boat that capsized and was in 50° water for 40 minutes. What saved my life was the life vest I was wearing and the PLB alreay in it along with a handheld VHF that I managed to grab before going in. I will always wear the correct safety equipment. Good for you for posting this video!

[lifeatknots]

Great video. Some of these youtube "safety" recommendations are absolutely WILD. Thanks for setting the record straight.

[albertreed]

I am not a a sailor never have been, except a U.S.NAVY sailor. The best take away for me is DO YOUR RESEARCH, DO YOUR RESEARCH! I'll watch more of these videos in the future, not that I'll be sailing anywhere but, it is so logical and I do watch lots of sailing videos, very informative!

[bunkerhill]

My first experience in anything like offshore sailing/racing was in 1968. It was long distance coastal, rather than deep sea, in the Canadian/US Pacific Northwest. Much of the equipment and procedures we take for granted today were yet to be invented, or even thought of. The biggest difference between now and then was an attitude of safety, not equipment. We spent hours perfecting spinnaker handling and a few minutes discussing (not rehearsing) man overboard protocol. Looking back now is terrifying and we shouldn’t have been allowed to leave the dock, but we met the then current regulations. We all survived, but were never seriously tested. Keep spreading your message, it is important.

[davidzaharik]

In 2003 I fell overboard while motoring in calm conditions... I was 4.2 nautical miles off shore... the water was 60 F... I did NOT have a life jacket on and I swam for 4 hours. I was super hypothermic and should have died... when rescued some hours after I got to shore, the Coast Guard medic could not believe my body temperature was 31C or 87.8 F... the heart technically stops at 31... Ironically I had taken my Mustang survival suit off about 5 minutes before I fell overboard... no I wasn't taking a pee... I was folding a sheet from the bunk while leaning on the life line when the pelican clasp released... Since then I do not leave the dock without a proper PFD on... life lines are toward the middle of the boat and harness length will not allow me to go over... stay on board.