<< Subj: Re: Harness attachment points for P19?
Date: 4/8/99 3:50:46 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: DAVID_KAUTZ@HP-Sunnyvale-om5.om.hp.com
To: JBlumhorst@aol.com
CC: DAVID_KAUTZ@HP-Sunnyvale-om5.om.hp.com, wwpotter@tscnet.com
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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 >>
When I sailed the ole col 22 to FL i had a boat lifting/ski tow ring attached
to the transom reinforced on the inside with a 10 inch circular piece of 1/2"
plywood. The ring was right in middel of rear boarding ladder so I could
climb back up easy. I fell in ocean while sailing alone about 3 times with
harness tied to rear ring. Managed to get aboard easy. This was under bare
poles in rough weather ( E 45mph, Waves 15 to 20') on way to Florida
somewhere off Louisiana. I had to go up fwd to pull the anchor off and dump
it in water to act as a drogue.
Nevermore quoth the raven...
SF