For club boats, (check us out at
www.kanatasailing.com), we use the Hobie blue and white bungee EasiRite system #30106 page 18. It is also useful as a Safety Line. Bowline the ends to the rudder pins, lead it around the outside of the hulls through the SS rings, and centred through the dolphin striker post. Tough to reach if you are less than 6 ft. Sometimes you have to 'dip' the stern a bit, grab the end, slide your hand along etc. Also tensioning can be an issue on a club boat, where some members have longer arms than others. Obtaining a 'balanced lift' is also an issue when more than one person hauls away.
On my personal 1988 H18, there is a 'racing rig' righting line. Sort of an Easy Up system, see #30102 Page 18. Previous owner drilled 4 holes through the inner lip, under the crossbeams, attached shackles, then put pulleys on the front shackles. So the loop runs from a knot in the rear corner, to a front pulley, to a non-shackled pulley which is secured by a light bungee cord to the tramp just ahead of the traveller, back to a front pulley, back to another knot at a rear shackle. All on the inside. Figure M. Neat, light and elegant. That means we have no 'safety line', but then we don't sail that aggresively. More like Capt Fatty Goodlander.
When we do trapeze training at the Club, and the wind is high or the weather is rough, we tend to 'trail' a length of 35' line behind the boat until our students 'get their feet'. That's the closest we get to a safety line.
Last Oct 22, air temp around 46F, with windchill down to 32F, Andre and I were out in 15 mph gusting 25, and my trap ring became undone. (Don't ask.) I was gone in a flash, but managed to hold on to the jib sheet, which was my safety line. Does that work for you?
For this next summer, I plan to attach foot straps # 1241, page 17, eight inches behind the rear cross bar. Then either from that, or from another hole, set up a chicken line for trapping. What do you do for a chicken line?
Email me privately if you wish at
[email protected] - if we can find the time, this summer we'd like to trailer down to Brewerton and the other finger lakes, and I would enjoy sailing with you and your fleet.
Cheers and good winds.