# Fatal POB - Bermuda Race 2022 fatality report



## Zanshin (Aug 27, 2006)

I was fortunate enough to be a racer in this year's Newport-Bermuda race. We had mixed conditions ranging from storm to (almost) dead calm. Unfortunately, during the inclement weather another boat had a person overboard and fatality, and the report of the accident investigation can be read at Morgan of Marietta accident report
That night was gnarly, and while commanding the watch I had to send crewmembers forward to reef - weighing safety of the boat with safety of the people going forward. Luckily our boat had standing orders of everyone on deck clipping in and wearing PFDs!








(that's my handwriting)

Things aboard a sailboat can quickly go from exciting to deadly and one should read this report and take it to heart.

(Some pictures of our trip can be seen at Newport-Bermuda 2022 aboard "Challenge Accepted")


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## The Big Cat (Jul 1, 2020)

Thank you for bringing this sobering report to our attention.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

What a terrible tragedy.

So many things to learn from the report. So many things. Not least which the Iridium Go being only accessible by the smartphone in the pocket of the man overboard. 

I will re-read the report tomorrow. Its an essential read for everyone going offshore (or in the Great Lakes). If a full size race crew takes 2 hours to haul a person out of the water, what happens with a couple in the far ocean?


Mark


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## GlanRock (Feb 26, 2013)

Wow, what a terrible tragedy to read. I can't even imagine being one of the crew having to go through that experience.


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## paulk (Jun 2, 2000)

Sobering report. Wear your harness & clip in.


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## AWT2_Sail (Oct 12, 2021)

This report is, to me, a familiar reminder of safety at sea principles which apply to offshore, cruising or day sailing alike.


https://ussailing2018.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/NBR-Morgan-of-Marietta-Report-10242022-FINAL.pdf


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## pcmm (Jan 31, 2014)

Wow. I'm shocked and saddened to hear about this. I followed this years race and unfortunately didn't hear anything about this (or even that there was bad weather) I had a friend in the race and he mentioned nothing of anything other than beautiful weather for the whole race AND the delivery trip back. Reading the report now.


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## marcjsmith (Jan 26, 2021)

MarkofSeaLife said:


> If a full size race crew takes 2 hours to haul a person out of the water, what happens with a couple in the far ocean?
> Mark


Likely end up with two death. As the rescuer tries to save the victim and ends up putting them or the vessel in a bad spot.

I could imagine that if my wife went overboard I would do my damnedest to save her and I would, in all likelihood, put myself in mortal danger to save her.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

marcjsmith said:


> Likely end up with two death. As the rescuer tries to save the victim and ends up putting them or the vessel in a bad spot.
> 
> I could imagine that if my wife went overboard I would do my damnedest to save her and I would, in all likelihood, put myself in mortal danger to save her.


Yes, that's the worry if just a cruising couple on-board. But if I was still on-board and knew she was dead I wouldn't try to retrieve the body. 

I think I better de-personalise this post... If a 🐰 went Overboard... 

Mark


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## Lanealoha (Mar 5, 2017)

74 y/o 250-300lbs. Granted not wearing a PFD or being tethered was the reason for going overboard. All due respect to the crew and family for their loss in this event. I would like to suggest that this mans physical stature was not appropriate for a challenging sporting endeavor. I would not subject myself or have crew on my boat that was not an able bodied asset who could assist in all manners of operating the vessel, that would be a liability...


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

Well, if LifeSling didn't work what does?

I have never used one, never seen one unpacked. But I was thinking about something for 2 handed cruisers needing to recover their partner.

The boat in this accident got back fast; the MOB got into the sling fine; there was a FULL race crew to help; yes MOB weight may have been a factor but shouldnt rescue gear be able to have quite significant loads on it?

What can we do to recover someone. And, yes, I know "not go overboard in the first place" but we need contingencies if they do.


Mark


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

I am a big fan of having double 2 meter tethers. with a single snap shackle attachment point on the harness, just so that I can stay attached while changing attachment points on the boat. I tend to use low stretch jacklines which allow me to move about the boat more freely. I will fold the tether in half over the jackline and clip it to the harness chest ring when I want to shorten the distance that I can fall. 

Jeff


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## Zanshin (Aug 27, 2006)

@Jeff_H : I think that most harnesses come with one short and one long tether. When setting up and tightening the jacklines for this race, I got them very tight thanks to a leveraged trucker's hitch but then had to undo them all so that I could put some twists in flat lines - without those it would have been very difficult to quickly snap on the shackles!

But what I really took away from this race was how nice my life aboard a sailboat with a rolling furler genoa and a furling mainsail is. I never have to leave the safety and comfort of my cockpit regardless of weather. During this race we couldn't use the electric winches, so putting in a reef in heavy weather took a bit of coordination and 5 people (helmsman, wincher, tailer, spotter, daredevil-at-the-mast)


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## BarryL (Aug 21, 2003)

Hello,

It's a sad story but we can all learn and benefit from the report.

The "wear a PFD and tether to the boat" information is well known and has been for years. What I learned was some of the additional information:
-Naming a second in command who can take over if the owner / skipper is incapacitated. 
-Ensuring multiple people know how to operate the communication devices (VHF / Sat phone / etc). On the boats I race on some have VHF below at the nav station, others have a second station at the helm, some use handheld, etc. I have a SPOT satellite communication with SOS button but I'm the only one who knows how to use it. One other crew has a Garmin / Inreach device but he's the only one who knows how to use it .
-Briefing the crew on how to operate the engine - start / stop / engage trans, etc. It's not always easy. Some use a key - where is it? Others use switches (on my boat you turn the engine switch to ON and then press the start button). 

One aspect I hadn't really thought of enough IS the wearing and usage of PFD and tethers. When _I_ am the skipper and we are racing I tell crew you can wear a PFD if you want to. It's your decision. Understand that if you go overboard you may not survive. On a typical beercan race we don't run jacklines and some crew wear PFD and others don't. No big deal. On the bigger 'off shore' races like the Around Long Island Regatta or Vineyard we will run jacklines and most of the crew will wear PDF but tethers are only used at night or in bad weather and rarely when in the cockpit. For those races I tell my crew you don't have to wear a PFD but if you go overboard you most likely will NOT SURVIVE. Now I am rethinking my position because of risk involved to the crew in trying to recover a COB. I also don't ever want to be in the position of even considering one of the crew being a rescue swimmer. 

I race on multiple boats with multiple crew. We have a core of crew and two boats that we normally race on. For the 'bigger' races like Around Long Island, Vineyard, etc. it's common to need additional crew, people we don't often race with. I need to up my safety briefing to include more info on external communication, safety gear, etc. 

Barry


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## Zanshin (Aug 27, 2006)

MarkofSeaLife said:


> Well, if LifeSling didn't work what does?
> 
> I have never used one, never seen one unpacked. But I was thinking about something for 2 handed cruisers needing to recover their partner.
> 
> ...


Mark, part of the Newport-Bermuda race requirements was that the crew actually deployed and practiced with a lifesling before the race. It works quite well and seems to have worked in the incident in question as well. But the toughest part is not necessarily snagging the MOB but getting that person aboard. That was not part of the race requirements, and a cushion or lifejacket doesn't weigh 250Lbs or more! When we did the exercise prior to the race, we had discussions about those last 2 meters from water to deck. Rigging a line and using the winches, using lines and human adrenalized muscle power, using the boom, going from the sugar-scoop (discarded as being too dangerous in seas likely to cause a MOB in the first place). Even deploying a liferaft along with a volunteer to get the MOB stabilized and out of immediate danger. And all of our scenarios involved using the lifevest harness which wasn't available to the MoM crew.

But this report drives home the sad fact that getting back aboard at sea is very, very difficult. And this event happened in the warm waters past the Gulf stream; in colder waters the window of survivability would have been much smaller.


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

My Lirakis harness has 2 - 6' tethers.


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## Barquito (Dec 5, 2007)

What impressed me about the report was how little protection you actually have in the cockpit. It appears this fairly large man was lifted over the lifelines by the boarding wave.


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## AWT2_Sail (Oct 12, 2021)

Another point made is that no one questioned the skipper's decision not to wear a PFD or tether, directly in conflict with the protocol everyone else apparently was following. The bridge/cockpit/flight deck command environment sometimes doesn't support this kind of open communication and willingness to take feedback from other crew.


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

Lanealoha said:


> 74 y/o 250-300lbs. Granted not wearing a PFD or being tethered was the reason for going overboard. All due respect to the crew and family for their loss in this event. I would like to suggest that this mans physical stature was not appropriate for a challenging sporting endeavor. I would not subject myself or have crew on my boat that was not an able bodied asset who could assist in all manners of operating the vessel, that would be a liability...


I find your post very distasteful!


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

We all understand the cause and core issue on this event. A few years ago on a husband/wife boat heading to Bermuda the wife got washed off the boat just coming out to the cockpit and never was found.

Getting washed off the boat is basically a death sentence.


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## paulk (Jun 2, 2000)

MarkofSeaLife said:


> Well, if LifeSling didn't work what does?
> 
> I have never used one, never seen one unpacked. But I was thinking about something for 2 handed cruisers needing to recover their partner.
> 
> ...


People don't understand that a Lifesling is for getting the victim back to the boat, but NOT necessarily for getting them back aboard. If you go overboard it is very easy to slip over your head to get into. It is also very easy to slip over your head to get out of. Especially if you are unconscious. To avoid this problem and to make sure we can get victims of just about any size back aboard we have a MOB tarp. It is a triangular piece of canvas. Two corners get shackled to stanchion bases on the leeward side that the victim is brought to (In the Lifesling, perhaps.). The third corner has a line attached to it that gets led under and outside of the victim and then up to a cabin top or cockpit winch. The long sides of the triangle are about twice the freeboard height. Cranking the line in brings the victim aboard pretty much infallibly, because of Physics. There are no halyards to foul or chafe, no way the victim can easily slide out, and no "too weak" crew issues with the winch doing the lifting. More boats should have this piece of equipment and practice using it.


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## paulk (Jun 2, 2000)

Lanealoha said:


> 74 y/o 250-300lbs. Granted not wearing a PFD or being tethered was the reason for going overboard. All due respect to the crew and family for their loss in this event. I would like to suggest that this mans physical stature was not appropriate for a challenging sporting endeavor. I would not subject myself or have crew on my boat that was not an able bodied asset who could assist in all manners of operating the vessel, that would be a liability...


Your boat, your rules. This was his boat.


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## MastUndSchotbruch (Nov 26, 2010)

MarkofSeaLife said:


> If a full size race crew takes 2 hours to haul a person out of the water, what happens with a couple in the far ocean?


I have 'practiced' using my life sling, in absolutely perfect conditions. 

Years ago, I took my son and his buddy sailing when they were both about 12. We anchored pretty early in the day (in Still Pond, Chesapeake Bay) and the boys got bored swimming around. To entertain them I told them we would practice crew recovery. I did it exactly as described in the textbook: Positioning the 'victim' midships, I used the Boom Brake to lock the boom in fully forward position (touching the shrouds) and hooked the mainsheet to the lifesling (it detaches at the bottom, specifically for this reason). Then I hauled in the sheet on the mainsheet winch. 

I succeeded to get both on board, unassisted (on purpose). But it took *a lot* of force, despite the mechanical advantage of the sheet plus that of the winch. I am not Hercules but I am reasonably strong, work out several times a week etc. And of course these were absolutely perfect conditions: boat at anchor, no waves, warm water, perfectly cooperative 'victims' (it was uncomfortable to hang in the lifesling, so they assisted as much as they could). And, of course, they were boys, weighing maybe 130#. You would imagine that, with all the mechanical advantage, the force would only be a few tens of pounds but it is not! I guess because of friction due to strange angles of the lines on the blocks etc. 

Even adrenaline-assisted, I am pretty sure I would not be able to do that with an overweight adult, wearing soaked foul-weather gear, in a sea-state. For sure not if the person is incapacitated.

Sobering.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

With my Moderators hat on:

Some posts about a fatality will always be distasteful. But we analyse tragedies to try to save future lives. It's more important to have an honest opinion than to prune it because of sensibilities. 

😊

Mark


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## AWT2_Sail (Oct 12, 2021)

paulk said:


> Your boat, your rules. This was his boat.


“Your boat, your rules” is exactly the type of on board environment that gets people killed, and not just the victim here. Losing the most experienced crew, who is also the boat owner and probably the best to sail his boat, puts the entire crew at risk of death. “Your boat, your rules” is just fine for soloing. As captain/skipper, your crew’s safety and lives are your responsibility.


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## Zanshin (Aug 27, 2006)

@AWT2_Sail - the captain is the ultimate authority on board. If prospective crew members don't like the rules set by the captain, then they have the choice to walk away. But in this specific case, during the Newport-Bermuda Race, the rules of the race itself required wearing a PFD and clipping in at all times when on deck. Hence both @paulk's comment and your response (and this reply as well) are moot points, as the captain had, for some reason, not adhered to the rules. Consequently, in the subsequent unfortunate chain of events depicted in the report, he ended up paying the ultimate price for that decision.


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## AWT2_Sail (Oct 12, 2021)

Zanshin said:


> @AWT2_Sail - the captain is the ultimate authority on board. If prospective crew members don't like the rules set by the captain, then they have the choice to walk away. But in this specific case, during the Newport-Bermuda Race, the rules of the race itself required wearing a PFD and clipping in at all times when on deck. Hence both @paulk's comment and your response (and this reply as well) are moot points, as the captain had, for some reason, not adhered to the rules. Consequently, in the subsequent unfortunate chain of events depicted in the report, he ended up paying the ultimate price for that decision.


Ultimate authority and ultimate responsibility. The main point was not that he broke a rule in a particular event. Where in anything anyone has ever written about safety at sea does it say a PFD and tether in deck in weather should be used “if you feel like it” or “if you’re inexperienced”? Being swept overboard in 8-10 ft seas is not an unforeseen event.


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## hpeer (May 14, 2005)

Horror tales of this sort abound, very undortunatly.

some mfg (lifesling) has an old database of MOB recoveries, sobering. The primary difficulty is retrieval. The lifting device must have some way of securing the body into the device. I.e., PDF’s MUST have a crotch strap, we have sown then into ourPDF’s.

Noting the deceased’s weight is valid. Excess weight is very detrimental to our ability to manage ourselves. Our stamina is shot, our heart has to work extreamly hard, all the obvious disadvantages. Not saying heavy folks should be banned, just that is a significant contribution. Hell, I would not he surprised if the reasin he was not wearing a PFD is because, at his weight, it was uncomfortable.


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## pdqaltair (Nov 14, 2008)

Lanealoha said:


> 74 y/o 250-300lbs. Granted not wearing a PFD or being tethered was the reason for going overboard. All due respect to the crew and family for their loss in this event. I would like to suggest that this mans physical stature was not appropriate for a challenging sporting endeavor. I would not subject myself or have crew on my boat that was not an able bodied asset who could assist in all manners of operating the vessel, that would be a liability...


Blunt and not nice... but not wrong.

I've thought (and tested) that adding a carabiner on a ~ 16" sling to the apex of a Lifesling would be a good upgrade. Once you get in the sling you clip yourself to it. This assumes you are wearing some sort of harness or PFD with a ring. Then you can't slip out.

Also, the upper weight limit of sailing harnesses and tethers is not started in the standard and is thus not on the label. However, all of the testing and engineering is based on 220 pounds max. 175 pounds for climbing gear (but the test falls are FAR more severe). This includes gear and wet clothes, so more like 200 pounds max. for sailor using sailing harness, tether, and jacklines.


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## pdqaltair (Nov 14, 2008)

A common thread in many MOB fatalities is that an "apparently" uninjured sailor, often known to be a strong swimmer, drowns within 5-15 minutes in conditions no more severe than we would go surfing in. In this case there were waves, but it was not a horrible storm (20-25 knots) and the swimming condition were probably not bad. The logical conclusion seems to be that they were either injured going over the side (even just the wind knocked out of you) or otherwise disoriented enough to have had trouble finding the surface quickly. I would off that jumping off the boat in those conditions would not lead to drowning for quite some time (not that it is a good idea!), but that getting washed off can be different.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

200 pounds is crazy light.

I'm 80 kgs = 180 pounds and pretty slim. add life lacket and wet clothes its far above 200. More like 250.
The calculate the water suction in wave action. I would think the SWL for a 180 pound person would need to be at least 300 pounds, maybe 400.

My setup is to use the main halyard (I made it especially long) 12mm double braid, run over the radar arch to give a vertical pull upwards onto the swim platform and into the cockpit.

In a couple situation, it still supposes the MOB can clip onto the end of the halyard themselves. Quite frankly, if they can't theyre dead because throwing away the other persons life as well is of no value. 

In a boat with a larger crew I would never allow someone else to enter the water unless the conditions were totally calm and they were secured to the boat. The lives of those left on board are sacrosanct.

Finally, attending to the thought of some posters here to force everyone to wear their harness and clip on. Yes, I agree, anyone who is not wearing one is directly putting the others at risk.
In this accident the full crew were wet, cold and working for 2 full hours at extreme risk of themselves going into the water accidently

Thats not fair.


Mark


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## AndyL (Dec 1, 2019)

With respect to the drowning, I have read that wind, spray, and waves are an issue for anyone in the water for a while, even with a PFD on. The spray gets into your lungs as you breath and eventually you drown. 

I believe that is why ocean PFDs sometimes include or can be fitted with a spray hood, for example: Spinlock Deckvest Cento Spray Hood


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

Deleted


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

AndyL said:


> With respect to the drowning, I have read that wind, spray, and waves are an issue for anyone in the water for a while, even with a PFD on. The spray gets into your lungs as you breath and eventually you drown.
> 
> I believe that is why ocean PFDs sometimes include or can be fitted with a spray hood, for example: Spinlock Deckvest Cento Spray Hood


This is also why I teach my students that it is best to place the boat to windward of the person in the water, so that the hull of the boat provides some protection from the wind and spray.


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## Zanshin (Aug 27, 2006)

AndyL said:


> With respect to the drowning, I have read that wind, spray, and waves are an issue for anyone in the water for a while, even with a PFD on. The spray gets into your lungs as you breath and eventually you drown.
> 
> I believe that is why ocean PFDs sometimes include or can be fitted with a spray hood, for example: Spinlock Deckvest Cento Spray Hood


I do training with the Germany Navy in their purpose-built wave pool every couple of years (keeps my ISAF certifications current). One exercise, done only with select participants, is to tow them into the breaking wave portion of pool with a life vest that has a sprayhood. I can energetically confirm that in those conditions survivability without a hood is not guaranteed! But in the conditions that night (remember, I was there and in the same conditions) we had no breaking waves and spray. The seas were big and confused, but not breaking.


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## wingman10 (Sep 12, 2017)

A friend went overboard in Chesapeake in relatively mild weather standing in front of pedestal holding pedestal guard and talking to helmsman. They were heeled over and roguish wave hit boat broadside and he said he was over the lifelines and in the water in about 2 sec. He had pfd on but no harness. I wasn't there but took 45 min for boat to get back and get him out of the water. He was shaken up but ok.

FWIW, when I have sailed offshore, the rule was:
--anytime on deck, must wear PFD, no exceptions
--nighttime, must be clipped in, no exceptions
--harness required in bad weather defined by skipper or whenever skipper requires it

We rig jack lines fore and aft on both side decks and around cockpit floor, and when required to clip in, you clip in before you enter cockpit from the cabin, ie, always clipped in on deck when required. I use a 2-clip harness.

Condolences to family and friends of MOM skipper.


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## Lanealoha (Mar 5, 2017)

I've never been accused of mincing words. I wasn't intending to be rude only factual. Sorry!

Anyways...I have a block and tackle that is attached to a spare jib halyard which I use to lift my dink on and off the foredeck. The system is always set up, I would use this as well to aid in lifting a POB back on deck


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## BarryL (Aug 21, 2003)

Hello,

I'm not trying to be a jerk but the Newport - Bermuda rules do not require wearing a PFD or using a harness at all times.

From the Bermuda Race 2022 Sailing Instructions:





Official Notice Board - Newport Bermuda Race







bermudarace.com












Bermuda Race 2022 SI







drive.google.com





9. SEAMANSHIP
9.1 RRS 1.1, Helping Those in Danger, shall be of paramount importance.
9.2 [NP] Each competitor is individually responsible for wearing a Lifejacket and Safety
Harness conforming with the Safety Requirements:
a. between the hours of sunset and sunrise;
b. when alone on deck;
c. when reefed;
d. when the true wind speed is 25 knots or more;
e. when visibility is less than one (1) nautical mile;
f. with due consideration of the water temperature; or
g. whenever the Captain requires.

I did not do the race but I did do the delivery from Bermuda back to Huntington. The captain on that boat did require you to wear a PDF any time you were on deck (not inside the cabin). If you left the cockpit you were required to use a tether. I didn't argue as I almost always wear my PDF anyway. I did feel a little silly to be clipped in while sitting on the side deck in 0 wind as we motored over a glassy sea, but rules are rules. During the gulfstream crossing, in the middle of the night, when we had 30 kts wind, no visibility and confused seas from all directions, I was glad I was tethered in. If you went overboard in those conditions it would have been almost impossible to rescue a crew. 

Barry




Zanshin said:


> @AWT2_Sail - the captain is the ultimate authority on board. If prospective crew members don't like the rules set by the captain, then they have the choice to walk away. But in this specific case, during the Newport-Bermuda Race, the rules of the race itself required wearing a PFD and clipping in at all times when on deck. Hence both @paulk's comment and your response (and this reply as well) are moot points, as the captain had, for some reason, not adhered to the rules. Consequently, in the subsequent unfortunate chain of events depicted in the report, he ended up paying the ultimate price for that decision.


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## joethecobbler (Apr 10, 2007)

As a 285# solo sailor, I'll be rigging and wearing a harness from now on.
At almost 60, I'm getting a little more cautious.
It's a tough battle with the ego, but the bumps are taking longer to heal!


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## pdqaltair (Nov 14, 2008)

MarkofSeaLife said:


> ... I would think the SWL for a 180 pound person would need to be at least 300 pounds, maybe 400. ...


For clarity, I did not say the SWL was 220 pounds. I said the engineering and testing are based on a 220-pound sailor with gear.The SWL of the components is over 1200 pounds.


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## GaryHLucas (Mar 24, 2008)

When I brought my Etap 26 up from the Chesapeake I was concerned about going overboard. So I installed a folding D-ring in the center of the cockpit floor. With a 3 foot tether we could reach everything in the cockpit but it was impossible to go overboard, even if rolled 360 degrees. We also had jacklines rigged. We thought we were going to need it. A powerful storm with 80mph winds rolled in behind us as we left Cape May. We had all the hatches fastened, the boat has every opening gasketed, even the companionway hatch and the board. We had taken down the sails and were motoring and fortunately the storm missed us completely.

This year I installed cleats on both sides of the companion way to better rig jacklines close to the center of the boat. They don't do you any good if you are attached to the boat and dangling over the side! 

I think in most cases if you go overboard you die, its that simple.


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