Flying Pig Prevention Measures

[Gator81]

Skip,

I enjoy your posts, albeit with feelings of commiseration for your loss and the fright you've been through. More than that, I think, it's educational in a factual sort of way, and I appreciate that.

That, and the frequent entertainment value, are why I spend so much time over here reading these things. It's unfortunate that some folks take shots, but I don't believe there's any mean spirit there, just a wee jab in the ribs, you know?

Best of luck to you, and please continue to post your experiences.

[hellosailor]

Skip, regarding shackled anchors?

I can understand and appreciate shackles. I would suggest that no matter how convenient it is to shackle the anchor, there are times and places where you NEVER want a metal "fastener". Some things should only be secured with line, so you can slash the line if you need to release it in a hurry when it is under load. That might mean using some cheap line to lash it, or using the shackle--but putting the shackle on a piece of line that could be cut if needed.

Something to consider, along with a sharp knife on every crew. That doesn't help with the bouncing foredeck, I know. (You should have married a deck ape?<G>)

[Captain Mark]

TO the new preparations list, aside from all of the gear... buy and study Storm Tactics by Lin and Larry Pardey... it saved my arse once during a tropical low in the lower antilles. Well worth the money!

Mark

[skipgundlach]

Originally Posted by Ram

I made it a point not to
cast recriminations, but she's now come to (also without dwelling on
it) accept responsibility for the end result; she tells folks, now,
that she wasn't in condition to stand watch, but didn't fetch me to
either take over or assist. We'll not make that mistake again.


Skip
<clip>
Your the captain , and as captain its your responsibility to make sure she knew what she was doing before handling the wheel to her, its you who should accept responsibility for the end result and make sure she knows it!.

I agree - and I believe we have that ground covered. Before relinquishing the helm, I reviewed what we'd been about, and how I was doing it. We didn't know, learned only more than a week later as we discovered it, that her patch had either caught, or simply fallen into, her sweatshirt hood, thus depriving her of the up-until-that-time effective comfort.

After the grounding, I took complete responsibility, in effect shielding her from it. She's come to the understanding of how we got there - hard lessons, but well learned, and we don't believe we'll find ourselves in the same position again.

Originally Posted by Ram

I look forward to hearing about how you love cruising in the newly repaired Flying Pig as you sail away into the sunset with your woman, good luck and all the best to you and your woman.
Ram

Thanks. We still have quite a bit ofwork to accomplish before that day, but we'll keep in touch. In the meantime, for those more interested than just the occasional stuff in forums, we have what we call our "log lists" - Lydia's being aimed at non-sailors/cruisers, and mine being more detail and "how we did it" oriented - which you'll find in our sig line. Those have infrequent postings - tyically 3-6 weeks apart - about what's going on, and the pictures in the gallery will always show what we've been up to, in much more detail :{)) than you'll probably want to know.

[skipgundlach]

To hellosailor - good point. Our shackles are actually locking hooks, connected with nicopressed wire. We could easily change that out to some stout line. Our current windlass non-reaction to the switches (we were going to mark the new chain, but there's no reply from either the deck or helm switches) puts a different perspective on that...

To Mark, or others reading, if you know, would you compare Heavy Weather Sailing to the Pardys' book for me? I have HWS, but not Storm Tactics.

Thanks.

[Captain Mark]

For me, the video was more of a help than reading You know the whole a picture is worth... I think the reason why I highly recommend it is that as Larry goes through the video, he really shows you how to have your boat prepared in advance of needing any of the gear, including preconfiguration for the sea anchor... he also has an interesting twist on deployment of the sea anchor, which he insists causes a greater slick than the standard off the bow deployment. Also, he stressed so much the need to practice the tactics that I did and still do, especially if I'm heading out with a new crew. Though (per other forum) we don't practice man-overboard drills

The one and only time I had to deploy the sea anchor, after trying everything else I knew to do in severe winds and sea, I kept hearing Larry's voice as I went from tactic to tactic, and then it was like he was riding the storm with me and walked me through the sea anchor deployment. So I guess for me the video, and watching it over and over was best for me.

Okay and the BONUS, there is a great song about sitting at the Yacht Club Bar...

Hope this helped!

Mark

[David_Old_Jersey]

I will concede I only skimmed through your OP when I saw that it was a cut and paste of a thread from another board as I don't really understand the point of doing this, apart from someone wanting to build their Internet "personality" (LOL)........plus I recall from one of your previous threads that you did not much like responses from the folk who disagreed with you / pointed out the holes in your boat story (Pun intended )

Just as well I am not a Mod, as this would be joined to the Bumfrizzles thread by now

[GordMay]

Skip:
Are your “locking hooks” carabiners?
Types of Carabiners

[skipgundlach]

Mark, thanks for that - I'd forgotten it was a video and not a book.

David, we don't take potshots well. Criticism (you could look it up) is welcome, and in fact, if we didn't get differing points of view, we'd never learn anything. I don't flip flop much, but I've very often changed my mind. As to the multiple locations, there's very little overlap between the forums/lists/newsgroups I use as my resources; to post to only one would miss the other wisdom I've gained. In the cases where I get nothing out of them (and, usually find nothing I can contribute, either, my other side of participation, of course), I unsubscribe to them.

Gord, we have the sort of tear-drop shaped stainless steel clips common in WorstMarine; not really caribiners, I think, but I forget the name of them. They have hook shaped moving part ends which allow them to take more stress than just an open hook. However, the clips are really just to prevent accidental launch; the chains are secured by the windlass in the one case, and a cleat intersection before the hawse hole in the other.

Back to work; I'm troubleshooting my depth sounders at the moment.