A few days ago American Russell McKay went sailing for the day alone off the South African coast. He was an experienced sailor, and the day was calm, but he wasn't wearing a lifejacket and tether. Apparently he fell overboard during the sail. His boat was later spotted, sails up, moving erratically. Sometime later McKay's body was found.
It can be a difficult or easy decision to wear a PFD and tether yourself to the boat when you're sailing alone, especially on a calm day. You're not as comfortable, and you might feel silly if you're seen "strapped in" on quiet waters when passing another boat. I know. Years ago my wife made me promise to wear a PFD and tether when alone on the open ocean. I've felt embarrassed and I hate the restriction of the strap, but every time I'm tempted to unclip, I imagine some situation, however unlikely, in which I topple over the lifelines and watch my boat sailing away from me. There's a million ways it can happen. It's a very small risk, but then I imagine how for years to come, my widowed wife is still telling the story how I had promised to stay clipped in and had, damn fool, broken my promise. For some reason I find it more embarrassing to be remembered that way than to wear a tether on a calm day.
Comments
The Toronto Harbour Police say that most of the male bodies they find after falling overboard, have their fly open!
It sounds like a suicide.
I fell overboard alone with sails down and motor in forward gear in the marina. I was not tethered, but had on my life vest. I was able to scrable up on the dock and run my boat down and jump back on before it hit anything.
Let’s not even bring up “dragging” or hanging onto the swim ladder with the boat unanchored or moving under 2 kts. Or is this something on Great Lakes sailors do?
But really, if anybody I know does anything nutty like this they are tethered.
Personally, anytime I’m sailing, alone or with guests, I don a PFD when leaving the cockpit and, on rough days, everybody in the cockpit wears a vest.
Russell was my cousin, I haven’t seen him since we were kids. He leaves behind a wife and I believe a succesful IT career in South Africa. Russell’s Grand Mother, my Mothers sister, is beside herself with grief as well as his sister and family here in the USA. If only he had tethered and worn a PFD…