Re: Harness attachment points for P19?

DAVID_KAUTZ@HP-Sunnyvale-om5.om.hp.com
Thu, 8 Apr 1999 12:49:41 -0700


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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In the report I read on the Farallons drowning it was indicated that his
inflatable life vest did not deploy. If you have to keep yourself afloat in
water that cold, your life expectancy is measured in minutes.

On the other hand, on a boat as small as the P-15 it is hard to imagine losing
your footing and NOT falling overboard. By the time the tether is short enough
to keep you from falling overboard on a boat with a 5 1/2 beam at it's widest
point, there may not be enough tether to permit any movement at all.

Thanks for passing along the ORC specs. Unfortunately, I doubt one will find any
fitting on a Potter where a 6000lb load could be anchored. On a P-15, weighing
less than 500 lbs, a safety factor of 2 or 3 times that amount is probably
adequate to keep boat and skipper connected. I doubt that there is a cleat or
eyestrap anywhere on my boat that would withstand a pull of that magnitude,
hence my choice of the mast base.

I think I will try intentionally going overboard with the harness in one of the
warmer lakes sometime this summer. Should I be concerned I'll dismast the boat
in the process?

Dave Kautz
P-15 #1632 Tilly Lucy
Palo Alto, CA

______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: Harness attachment points for P19?
Author: Non-HP-JBlumhorst (JBlumhorst@aol.com) at hp-boise,mimegw7
Date: 4/8/99 11:22 AM


One of the sad lessons learned two weeks ago during the race around the
Farallon Island outside the Gate was that you can drown with a tether that
allows you to leave the boat. The skipper died when he was dragged behind
the boat and his crew couldn't pull him in. A rogue following wave popped
them both up in the air and they landed outside the boat. The boat kept
sailing along, dragging them both. In Bay water of 45-55 degrees, you don't
have any strength after two or three minutes in the water and you can't get
yourself back in.

I would speculate that a short tether with a quick release from the harness
is better than a long tether if the boat capsizes. It's not quite the same,
but while windsurfing, I have been trapped under the sail with my harness
still hooked on. It only takes a second to free it and swim out from
underneath.

A short tether will keep you from falling overboard. A long one won't. Most
drownings occur when someone falls overboard on the Bay, gets hypothermia,
and can't climb onboard or be lifted aboard. Rarely is it due to a
capsize. It's easy to swim to the boat if it's capsized usually, it's not
moving that fast (unless the clew of the mainsail is sticking straight up and
the main sheet is still cleated.)

By the way, the strength of the tether is important. From what I've read, a
200 pound man falling overboard hits the end of the tether with a force on
the order of 1-2000 pounds. ORC specifications for tethers require a
minimu breaking strength of 4950 pounds, and snaps must have a minimum
breaking strength of 3300#. Jacklines for 6000# pounds. Harness webbing
must have 3300# breaking strength and have 1575 working loads strength.

Food for sober thought.

Judy B.