Chest High Jacklines
Jacklines (also called jackstays) are rigged along the deck on either side or down the centerline. This is where you are supposed to clip...
The Pros and Cons of Chest-high Jacklines
World sailing offers fairly explicit expectations regarding jackstays. And PS offer its own additional advice, including one that recommends jacklines ideally be installed so...
Safety Tether Caution
The hallmark of an overboard fall protection system is a system of jacklines running along the deck, with tethers attached so that the sailor...
When is it Time to Retire a Safety Tether?
Rules of thumb are rather useless when it comes to equipment that is stored in a locker and then used roughly. We've broken lots...
Safety Tethers Under Scrutiny
On November 18, 2017, Simon Speirs, an experienced sailor, went overboard while at the bow assisting with a headsail change on a Clipper Round...
Time to Review Tether Regs
Like a car seatbelt, the snap hook on a sailors safety tether has only one essential job to do. It must support the dynamic...
New Trends in Sailing Safety Gear
Safety at sea has become more than a noteworthy slogan. Many feel it defines the right game plan and gear choice to ensure a...
Tether Failure Cited in Fatality
Just as we were wrapping up the report in our December issue describing how to make your own safety tether, 60-year-old British sailor Simon...
Requirements for Pressure-testing Life Rafts
I have read several articles about life-raft inspections, but no article has stated how long a raft should be inflated to check for leaks...
Jackline Materials Evaluation
Most offshore sailors are familiar with jacklines, those long lines-typically made of high-strength, low-stretch webbing-that run along the deck, offering a convenient way for...
Abandon Ship! Coast Guard Rescue Beneteau 523 in the Atlantic
What would cause the captain and crew to abandon ship in the Atlantic ocean? There was no sailboat disaster here, but a coast guard...
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J/109 Used Boat Review
The J/109 is a 35-ft. boat that races well and has some comforts for short term cruising. It is a true racer/cruiser. The first...