Thought this might be worth mentioning. I don't know if it's normal practice to attach a tether to oneself when going for a dip - I never have - until next time I go out.
It was a typical warm summer afternoon hear in East Texas (100+), and I decided to reef in the main and go in for a dip to cool off, as I have many times before. I never paid attention to which way the rudder was oriented, nor bothered with a tether. I'm a pretty good swimmer, and just figured how fast can it take off with no sail. Well - it can take off a lot faster than I can swim, which it did with the rudder straight as an arrow. She headed right back to the marina (about two miles). Fortunately, I had a life jacket on. The wind had picked up, and there was boat traffic all around, but nobody saw me waving for help until I had swum to within a quarter mile of my destination. Just a head and arm sticking up in a 2 ft chop is not all that visible. Anyhow, someone at the marina saw my boat come in with nothing but a hat on board, and secured her for me. They were about to call fire & rescue when I showed up, hopped in, and sailed off - after thanking them for securing my Bravo.
In the future I'll hook up some kind of light weight tether that I can snap onto my vest before I go for a swim. These little boats can really move - even without a sail!
_________________ Bob Reeves Lake Livingston, Texas My home page
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