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

There’s no way that gentleman would be able to lift himself back into the boat when overboard. No way.

Anyone who would think an average person could lift an average adult up & over the gunwale of a boat is either delusional or has never lifter a human being in real life.

Spot on, practice practice practice and use good safety equipment. I remember joining as crew on a Barquentine which carried sail trainees - we didn't leave our berth until the basic safety briefs were all done, and didn't even leave the harbour for the following day as we did ship familiarization. And yes, we threw Mr Basketball Head overboard more than once to learn to heave to and sail back to our man overboard marker before we went out onto the big blue. It's really not fast to sail back to the point you need to get to, especially with square rig, so you better believe it flotation devices matter and the best one is the one you already have on, because depending on the wind and yacht/ship it might take minutes with a bunch of tacking back into the wind to get there. You are spot on about tethers, they are always to stay on the deck (or yards, if you have them!) - there are plenty of boats and ships out there that you are just not getting back onto deck without being hove to and a ladder lowered. Good skills scale - knowing your ship, everyone knowing how to deploy man overboard marker, wearing life jackets when required, proper use of harnesses etc etc work from a very small yacht up to a very big, very beautiful sailing ships. But 'short cuts and cost saving tricks" really don't scale, and absolutely could be the last mistake you ever make.

U are right of course.
I want to add: single hand sailing is a totally different where it goes to the dynamics of safety rules and what works and helps safety and what not. There should be different approach for single handed is my opinion. Single handed over board on a life line: good luck getting on board again.

Great video. Thanks so much for sharing this information.

Thank you

I believe this could be a SERIES or a PLAYLIST.
There's plenty of subjects to cover here.

I think any boat without something like a stern mounted boarding ladder or similar assistance to get Yourself out of the water is Stupid .

I don't watch those channels and I wasn't even aware that they even existed. Wholly hell!

Im a firm believer in cold water Emerson suits and life a board my vessel.

If you plan on sailing offshore a life raft is a must💯

All these rules and safety concerns bother me. It's like parents insisting on knee, shin, elbow, and wrist, guards. Plus helmets and rash guard clothing. Let people do as people want. Even if they die off it's okay. Better than a nanny state.

What the hey!? Where is the clickbait? What three websites are trying to kill me? Put up or shut up!

I remember buying my first new-condition rated tethers at a sail and boat equipment consignment store with inflatable Crewsaver offshore PFD’s. They are not USCG certified but they are qualified under the European body for such matters.

They are impressively constructed. They were a few hundred dollars and I always use them with proper jacklines rigged.

It amazes me that folks will forego a $300-500 expense per person on critical lifesaving equipment.

Perfect advice, thank you, we teach proper tether usage, you'd be surprised how many people think a tether is to keep you beside the boat if you fall off. Tether keep you on the boat, clip center! Short tether!

Good afternoon, I would like to use sections of your video to highlight your channel on my channel and send people your way, let me know if you would grant me permission to do so

Could of made some good points but you ruined it with ego like a generic u tuber. Have you found anymore videos to critique from the 90's

The design of sailing harness has been proved poor.
They dragged someone with a sailing harness, they pulled face down, head under.
Tried a climbing harness, they pulled feet first head above water.

What really frightens me is solo sailing with the autopilot on, fall in and the boat keeps sailing.
I do use a long tether, but it is linked to a line that releases the autopilot and the jib sheet, so the boat luffs up.
I sail a catamaran, so less likely to go over the side.
On a monohull I would use two short tethers.

Very well done!
As a sailor of 50+ years, a fair number of miles both racing and cruising I have seen the mistakes you pointed out plus a bunch more.
When my kids where very young and I made it a rule that they never got onto a boat without a PFD I felt to set an example my wife and I also had to wear them.
About 20 years ago I extended that to my regular race crew that everyone who sets foot on the boat is wearing a PFD....no exceptions.
Have done a couple of Safety at Sea courses (absolutely recommend that everyone who is a water person take one!) and they are a great way to spend a day!
I have never stopped learning, everytime I get on a boat (either mine or someone elses) I tend to learn something new!
Great video.
Cheers
Mike 🇨🇦

Rule one never take advice from a oshkosh dinghy sailor, rule 2 who cares we have 11 billion people, fill your boots, take up extreme sports

Very, very interesting, and, for me, relevant as I am passionate about sailing off-season, many times solo (my wife many times prefers to be at home, by the fire, during that time of year) around southern New England. I love the ocean during brisk conditions, I love the solitude, and I really enjoy being one of (or, sometimes the only) boat in what is typically an extremely crowded, and to me, claustrophobic anchorage. But, I am mostly alone, and aging (currently 67). As a youngster, on a neighbor's boat (a now ancient 25- ft Ray Green New Horizon), the owner offered to place me into a harness (it was, I recall, pretty crude- in ~1973-74), put me in the water, tow me at ~2 kts (indicated by his old VDO) while I attempt to pull myself towards the transom. Very memorable. I failed, despite being the very active swimming teenager, biker, etc. So, we established four essentials to continually strive for:
1. Don't go overboard. Translation: Use best practice to stay aboard.
2. Don't get hurt. Translation: Use best practice to avoid injury, including sufficient protection to optimize survival if you fail (1). But, strive for (1), simply because achieving (2), when overboard, now becomes very, very much less likely.
3. Don't hit anything. Pretty obvious, and statistically one of the easiest things to manage (in my opinion). Translation: Don't do what I did: repeat a familiar passage, while avoiding intimate knowledge of dangerous features (such as rocks) associated with nearby routes, which I always avoided, egotistically reject using a chartplotter in the cockpit (I periodically used handheld GPS, and dead-reckoned in between), and nearly hit them, because I was too busy enjoying the brisk downwind conditions, playing with the boat, and inexperienced in the effect the rare easterly wind would have upon the current's influence, to properly track our position. And, then, perform an emergency gybe, 'cause to tack would put us onto said rock, and, then, learn, the very hard way, that my preventer was completely mis-engineered (by me) to allow gentle boom fall-off, in 25 kts of wind, during which I should have used just one of my furling headsails, instead of only the main, which I was too lazy and stupid to douse during earlier less-brisk conditions. And, then relying upon the engine to again gybe, release preventer, unfurl the staysail and tack (we were heaved-to, stopped and did, luckily, have room to tack). See how easy that was?? What if a single link in that chain failed, beyond the judgement link (which already did)? Afterwards your pals debrief, wondering how I could have been so blind to these risks, kinda shaking their heads. I got very lucky, but did spill the beans to my friends, after staying up late, reviewing my stupidity, and developing a sustainable best-practice to strive for, and check myself against. So far, so good, but I must remember that I am still, basically, capable of impressive stupidity.
4; Finally: Don't break anything. (4) is, I think, what saved me from myself. Translation: Be prepared for something to break, but, at least, consider, the best you can, what loads hardware may be subjected to, and, don't assume you are perfect in your choice, and at least think about what you may do if it does break. And, don't stress anything more than necessary - like shorting sail at the appropriate time (which I did not). Luckily, although missing key engineering aspects in some cases (such as that prevention system), the hardware choices for the relevant systems were, by luck probably, stout enough to survive the stresses I foolishly, through negligence, complacency and, again, stupidity, imposed. But, repeated over-exertion leads to fatigue, so continued robustness can't be assumed, either. So stuff is getting re-engineered and replaced.
Boy, lots of things to consider, when you are the responsible person. My wife, who was on board during that mishap, may have mistaken my sudden greatly increased intensity, actions and the subsequent obstacle avoidance as heroic; a display of competency, under moderately heavy conditions (for around here). Ha. I set her straight.
So, the last, most important element, call it (5), is: face and share the truth, and invite criticism, cringe, because some may be less than constructive, which is part of the deal.
So, I made lots if changes, kinda across the board. The question: what will be the next stupid move? I'll keep you posted...

The responsible adult for the kid's dinghy sailing in Helsingør Sejlklub told me that you can go overbord a J700 in water at 1 Celsius and wait without problems until you are rescued... after all aren't people winter-bathing in similar conditions?
I was complaining because my son went out sailing with the other kids wearing only the jeans and hoodie under his sailing jacket and pants... he forgot his wetsuit at home but went out anyway with nobody telling him it was a very stupid thing to do.
Yeah... I'm happy he doesn't join those clowns anymore and joined me on the "big boat" instead.

Amen, Amen, Amen!!! Stay on the deck and live to sail another day.

Sam holmes is the only real one

Agree 100%. I even teach my students to wear a vest when boarding a boat alone - people sometimes fall in the water when alone…and if there is no one to help they are on their own… my guess is about half the drowning deaths in Denmark occur in harbors. In Denmark the water is cold so we always wear a pfd - even while motoring out of the harbor on a calm day…

While all the points you make are legitimate there’s something to be said for your approach. Encouraging support for the details of safety is completely different than attempting to discredit another’s page.
It’s a good thing to be correct, and to want to share your information and experience is again a supportive thing. You contradict the positive aspects with an exclusionary approach. Being correct doesn’t mean you get to be rude in sharing corrections. In other words, don’t be a Richard.
After all, how much safety equipment did sailor use back in the days before power or steam. Barefoot and no PFD. One for the boat and one for yourself, lifelines optional. That’s how most sailors have done it. Was it the safest? Nope, but they didn’t have weather forecasts either. Modern day methods can improve on some things but the truth is most accidents are caused by being stupid, I mean careless disregard for others and vastly underestimating their own capabilities. I believe we call this the ego.
I say this with a hope that you can hear the encouragement in my message to keep up the hard word of educating others, but please find the supportive side within rather than the negative approach.

If your young child goes overboard without a PFD they are probably going to die. It’s that simple. Children must always wear a pfd when topside.

Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the nose or goes over the side .

Just a little feedback . . I get what youre saying and I respect your passion, as a single hander myself. But to be fair and accurate the title should read "3 channels trying to kill Themselves." Again, I get it, I get it, but fair point? They are not TRYING TO KILL ME!!! . . . .IF THEIR EQUIPMENT FAILS DUE TO THEIR INCOMPETENCE, I DONT DIE. Thank you for your contribution and educating others on these flaws Please don't come at me, Cheers : )

That vest will pull off if he goes over

Thank you.

Lady K and Chasing latitudes are trash for anyone curious. Check out sailing with thomas among others

Having done climbing and had harness safety training - all my experience says you can’t rely on a tether if you go overboard. It should be used to keep you on board. Any falling accident with a harness and tether almost always causes body injury because of the forces involved. Broken pelvis is a potential reality from the jerking motion. I found the right channel here for good information. Thank you and cheers.

Superb info

Flexible lifelines are damned scary, and the slacker they are, the scarier they are.

That old man could barely drop down onto the dock. No way he could get back up from the dock.

Sailauditor

I came for the negative title

The only advice i give crew about falling overboard is dont do or you'll die, helps them stay sharp and not do dumb shit.

You refer to offshore RACING regulations. And there are multiple documented cases of fatalities of sailors, even while operating within those rules. I have participated in offshore races, both crewed and single handed and abide by those rules 100%. However, when cruising, I may use any, all or none of those practices and choose to abide by common sense, depending on the conditions given. If I am sailing in 10-15 knots, 2 foot sees on a bright and sunny day, I will not force my guests to harness up and clip on to jacklines. I will allow them to decide if they want to wear a life preserver or not. Personally I feel that your approach to all this is motivated by click-bait. You may think you are educating, but you come off as just sanctimonious.

As an ex Merchant Navy deck officer and ex UK coastguard remember the quote; "The sea is not as dangerous as you think...IT IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE...RESPECT IT"

ive fallen off a near stationary boat in a river, with a rope in hand and i can tell you just pulling your wet weight (clothing and boots etc) out the water is hard (i had a rope to climb but no ladder)

"do your own research"??!!😱😱😱

Thanks

In Zurich, Switzerland, there are public "swim-across-lake"-events in summer, where everyone can join, and it's roughly a mile, all guarded by lifeguards and the lake police. It's awesome.

While competitive triathletes complete the lake crossing in roughly half an hour, the average but still fit person will take 3/4 hour, and the some people take up to 2 hours.

But here is the catch: by law, the event is cancelled by the organizers if the temperature in the middle of the lake does not reach 23°C/73°F.

So sure, I believe that under excellent conditions (almost) everybody can swim a mile.

Of course, the "swim-a-mile"-thing IRL usually doesn't happen in 73°F water, and usually not on a sunny day with perfect visibility, and usually not on a lake with almost 0 currents, and 0 waves, all while you are sober and well rested....

Bro, you took Christian Williams video completely out of context. He’s a highly respective Ericson sailor here in Southern California who’s done the Transpac three times that I know of. He even states that his way isn’t the right way, just to think it through. Also, the people in the first videos were wearing life vest that have a built-in harness, and from the video you can’t actually tell which type of carabiner they were using. You have no credibility in my book.

A TON OF COMMON SENSE @MINISTRYOFSAILING!

Rule number one: Don't fall off the boat!

If you see an old dude preaching about safety you should probably listen to him. a) Because he's still alive and here to tell you about good practices b) he hasn't had shit happen that turned him off the whole thing and or c) he hasn't been injured so badly they can no longer participate in said thing he is preaching about