Bruce, I have survived many a long nights' watch crossing the Pacific, and I would not use a trailing line; it's not sure that you could grab it in the confusion of falling overboard, or have the strength to pull yourself forward against water running at 5 knots. I clipped into a jackline when the weather was at all rough, and it kept me from being knocked overboard or floated out of the cockpit several times. An M15 is so small that a standard jackline would be impractical, but you could tie in several short segments and clip your harness to them as you move about. Leaving the tiller loose is a dandy idea, because most boats will round up pronto, but I tied myself in on my larger boat because it had a wind vane, and would go 500 miles without looking back. Tom Jenkins M17 Scintilla On Jun 22, 2012, at 11:02 AM, Bruce King wrote:
I have been considering toeing a line while sailing solo. Has anyone been overboard while sailing? Assuming that a 100 foot floating line is visible, have you been able to swim to it before it passes you? Issues: 1. Any Coast Guard guidelines? 2. It is a hazard to vessels moving across the stern. 3. Low chance of survival in cold No. Cal waters. 4. Don't "tie the tiller" when sailing alone. Better chance to get back to boat. 5. Attach it to starboard stern cleat above folding ladder.
I would really appreciate hearing views, considering the vast amount of knowledge available from all of you.
Bruce King '84 M15