What happens if I fall out of the boat while sailing

Hi, for example a Tandem-island, and im alone there, sailing like 10km/h.
And then i fall out to water, for any reason. Will the boat continue sailing without me?
I dont have a boat, but I thinking to buy one.
Thanks.

Yes, it can sail or drift away. The chances of falling out are very slim and mostly would be due to very rough conditions. The Tandem Island is VERY stable and handles a wide variety of conditions well. But, you do have to stay on the boat or hold on. Some discussions in these forums talk about tethers or safety lines that drag behind the boat for rough off shore sailing.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

what do you call a man who falls out of a moving TI???
(yep, you got it...WET...bet you thought I was gonna say Bob, didn't you?)

I was out on my windward hakka enjoying a nice downwind sail a few weeks ago. I found that my preferred position was about as far to the rear that I could get, which put me just about on top of the aka. I started to think about what would happen if I got bounced off that hakka after a wave surprised me..sailing alone on a broad reach..no one else in sight..hand off the tiller with the sheet cleated and the boat goes straight downwind. I could probably have simply stood up given that I was in the Everglade barrier islands, but it really got me to thinking about a harness.

Always wear a PFD
Always carry a VHF radio

This can happen on any boat and why a pfd is always required. Many people attach a small, waterproof vhf radio or their cell phone (in a waterproof case) to their pfd in case they fall in and the boat drifts away.

Interestingly a 2010 Coast Guard report revealed that only 26% of sailing fatalities occurred when actually sailing. The majority occurred when anchored or docked. This was because in 88% of those cases the victim was not wearing a pfd.

Buy a high quality pfd and keep it on at all times. Many of the inflatable pfds are so comfortable that you forget you're wearing one.

I go offshore a lot and I have a "Ocean Signal rescue me PLB1" (personal locator beacon), a marine radio, and my cell phone in a dry pack all attached to my life jacket.

Regarding the "Personal Locator Beacon", I look at it this way -- For approx. $260, We live in a time where one press of a button will access satellites and immediately mobilize the coast guard and they will use all their technology and gear to rescue you no matter what. They will risk their lives for you. As a tax payer and adventurer, why would you not take advantage of that peace of mind this modern world gives you ? The PLB is one of the best deals out there.

Agree completely. And because your PLB shows exactly where you are, it saves the time and costly resources of the coast guard/rescue agencies. A PLB is a great investment from both personal and societal points of view.

As well as a PLB, when offshore I loop my mainsheet/furling line (you do tie the ends together I hope?) through my belt, hugely reducing the chances of my TI sailing away from me (not only am I still Attached, but I can furl the sail while in the water)

Belt and braces.

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Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

I like that idea, Tony. A 'biner in my PFD and the looped lines through that...I'm also putting a hand grab of some sort on the fore side of my hakka perch.

Oops, I forgot to mention the carabiner, you definitely need to have an easy exit plan!

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Tony Stott
2012 Tandem Island "SIC EM" with Hobie spinnaker

Thanks Tony, those are two great points for us newbies to learn from. I have started to tie the sheets together but never thought to loop them through a beenier. That saves me the trouble of coming up with a safety harness (line) and will enable me to furl the sail from outside the boat should the need arise. It's y'all sharing your experiences and ideas that keeps me coming back here to learn.

We have had passengers fall off, and had to stop and get them. We have also been scuba diving and had our anchor break loose and drag (a good anchor is a sound investment if you leave the boat often snorkeling and stuff), and had difficulty catching the boat, even with no sails up the empty boat drifts faster than you can swim (just FYI).
I'm not too worried about the sail, I figure if I go overboard on my tether, just the drag of me in the water the boat won't go very far, a couple people have tried and tested it and were able to get back on board. I do have dead man kill switches on my outboards though.

Also, carry a knife just in-case you need to disconnect yourself from the looped sheet/furling line and there's too much pressure on the carabiner to release it.

Has anybody actually tried to furl the sail while in the water? I like the idea of being connected to the looped sheet/furling line, and do this when the winds are up, but I do it more as a means to stay connected to the boat without having to use any extra lines. I would think it would be very difficult to raise the lines enough to uncleat a sail under pressure while floating behind the boat. I'll have to try this when the water warms up a bit more.

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-- Chad | 2014 TI

No kidding! Last summer I was out with one of my nephews and his friend (12-13 yo). They wanted to jump in. I said it's not allowed to swim in the lake (so they couldn't stay in) but it's perfectly fine to "practice reentry"... My nephew wanted to jump off while we were moving but I said let's try while drifting first. So furled the sail and started to drift.

It was REALLY REMARKABLE just how fast he parted company with the boat! Absolutely NO way he was going to swim fast enough to catch us again. He was wearing a SUP tether, so used that to reel himself back in. It has a coil cord, normally 6-8 feet long I guess, but was probably 20 feet away once it had stretched out!

Sure didn't feel like we were moving that fast...!

I'll probably start using the 'biner and looping the sheet through it, I rarely use the SUP tether as it's just one more cord to get myself tangled in - I have enough trouble with the sheet!

Whenever I go out on any sail, I wear a NRS cVest pfd, & carry a VHF radio & SPOT Satellite Messenger--the radio and SPOT are attached to the pfd which I always wear. I also carry a Leatherman tool/knife. If I hiked out on the hakas, I would attach a tether.

Keith

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2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

For cutting lines I prefer to carry one, or two, of these: http://eezycut.com/ I carry them when scuba diving, and they are so much safer than a knife. You can wear them on the back of your wrist or on your PFD, and they come with spare blades. just smear them withsilicon grease to help preserve the blade.

Regarding furling the sail while being dragged along in the water. It sounds good, but how do you uncleat the mainsheet from below the hull level? Not saying it can't be done, but like chadback says, has anyone tried it? I'd be keen to hear. I do like the idea though and will look at doing it myself.