There is no question in our minds that changing to a centreline jackline (as detailed in the last two chapters) has made us a lot safer than we were when we used sidedeck jacklines.
Efficient
But here’s the very cool and surprising thing: It’s actually easier and faster to use our new system.
Read on for why:
- A tether running on the centreline seems to foul less often on sheets or other lines than one running on the sidedeck.
- In most evolutions that require access to the bow (most notably poling out the jib), one person works the bow and mast and the other the cockpit, so once we are both in position there are no added tether changes, whereas with the old system the bow person changed from the sidedeck to mast tether at least twice to complete the job.
Net result, we have actually reduced the number of tether changes compared to using a sidedeck jackline, running cockpit to bow, and a separate mast tether.
Tested
And this is not theory. This summer we tested our new system by doing all of our normally-required deck tasks without resorting to the sidedeck jacklines even once (see the video at the end of this chapter).
Added Two Tethers
That said, though being attached to the tethers that run on our centreline jacklines allows us to accomplish almost every task on the boat, there are two exceptions:
Dropping The Main
First, when dropping the main, one of us needs to jump up on the mast pulpit to grab the halyard so that it doesn’t fly about, but both the tethers attached to the jacklines are a tad too short for this.
So we have added a tether that we leave permanently attached to a pad eye on the mast and change to it just before dropping the main.
Another solution would be to use a boat hook to snag the halyard. We did try that but found it awkward and I guess deep down I kind of take pride in still being able to jump up there at age 65.
That said, it’s not the safest or smartest thing to do, particularly for an old fart, so I have already made a note to see what we can do to fix it. Probably some sort of custom short handled hook that remains stowed at the mast.
But even if that does work, this tether will stay because it also comes in handy if we need to climb up on the dodger or bimini, say to tie in a reef, since it can be easily moved to one of the many hard points on the boom.
Furling The Main
Second, to furl the main, one of us needs to stand on the aft cabin top. We used to simply move one of the cockpit tethers to the top of the boom gallows to do this, but this got a bit awkward when we added our new cockpit enclosure, so we have added a permanent tether to the gallows, that can also be used for anything we need to do aft of the cockpit.
(You will notice that these two tethers are made from rope, not webbing; more on how and why in the next chapter.)
Loose Tethers
Whenever I write about our system of using multiple tethers that remain attached to the boat, someone will worry in the comments about said tethers tapping on deck or washing out of reach.
And that worry would seem logical. However, in over 20 years of using this system, while sailing tens of thousands of offshore miles, some of it in pretty nasty weather, that has just not been a problem. Not really sure why, but there it is.
That said, we did find one new problem after our change to centreline jacklines: If I casually drop the cockpit tether inside the cockpit, as was my habit, after I have changed to the tether attached to the centreline jackline running from cockpit to mast, I will have a problem on my return to the cockpit because I won’t be able to reach the cockpit tether without disconnecting from the cabin top tether.
The solution was simple: we just leave the cockpit tether attached to a webbing loop we added to the bimini support as shown. Now if we can just train a certain old fart to remember to use said loop, all will be well.
A Surprising Safety Benefit
As is the case with most any project, no matter how well planned, once we got all this done and had used it for a while something unexpected became apparent, but the cool thing is that it was all positive for centreline jacklines:
You often see crew using their tether to steady themselves as they move around the boat. But as the above photo shows, with sidedeck jacklines this is at best a small reduction in fall risk and at worst an illusional benefit, since the tether is attached to a line at one’s feet and is therefore adding almost no real stability.
On the other hand, with a centreline jackline the stability benefit is real and substantial because the attachment point is both inboard (the direction of safety) and higher than our feet (on most boats).
You have to play with this offshore in some waves to really feel the gain, but trust me, it’s huge. I can also see how a quick grab at the tether, attached inboard, would stop me falling even after I lost my balance and particularly if the direction of my fall was backward.
Yes, I know, one hand for me, and one for the ship, and the one for me should always be on a rail or shroud (never the lifeline), but in the real world there are plenty of occasions where that rule gets broken and this added benefit could save the day.
Over To You
While each owner will need to think about the details, I’m pretty sure that the system we have detailed in this chapter and the last can be the basis of a system that will work on most any boat.
The Right Thing To Do
Let’s all get rid of those sidedeck jacklines now. Ours are gone forever, as shown in the photo that opens this chapter.
As recent tragedies have shown, at best sidedeck jacklines are much less safe than centreline jacklines and, at worst, perhaps more dangerous than no jacklines at all, since they confer a false sense of security.
The Video
Here’s a new video that shows our complete system in action.
Hi John,
Congrats on figuring out how to get rid of the side-deck jacklines. I really appreciate all the work that you and Phyllis have put into this.
Very interesting points on using the tether for stability. I find that I either do exactly what you describe or I don’t hang onto the tether at all and wake everyone below up with the scraping of the hook. When heeled a lot, is it weird to have that support from grabbing your tether be to leeward? Do you worry at all about the extra distance you could theoretically fall when the attachment point is to leeward of you (making the potentially bad assumption that most bad falls are to leeward)?
Eric
Hi Eric,
Thanks for the kind words.
No, I don’t worry about falling further from windward to leeward because I’m clipped to a centre jackline rather than one on the side deck. First off, the difference may not be that great, because the centre line jacklines are so much shorter, so they deflect less.
Second, I really don’t think about my tether as an anti-fall device, or even a fall arrest device. Rather I’m totally focused on making as sure as possible that in the event of a fall I don’t disconnect from the boat, or end up being dragged. Given that priority, centre line win every time.
I love your out-of-the box thinking, but the “ban side deck” jacklines strikes me as overly broad. The problem is that on a small boat (<30-35'), a center jackline will stretch nearly to the rail under load if the sailor is significantly forward of the mast. In fact, it is not much different than being on the leeward jackline at that point. I've worked the bow on small boats in races, and a center jackline would give little confidence during the one operation where falling off seems plausible; gathering up a jib while beating.
For a larger boat, I agree with John.
I agree with everything else.
* Because my jacklines run not on the deck but along the upper cabin edge, the leverage when used as a hand hold is much as John illustrates with the center line. Yes, that really helps, particularly as the knees get older. A longer fall? In his illustration he is holding the lifeline as well and is very unlikely to fall to leeward.
* I've never had a jackline tangle anything. That is certainly a prerequisite.
* I use climbing bolt hangers for hard points and to clip "loose tethers." These are 316 SS, about $5, and fit under any existing bolt head (3/8" required for full 5000-pound strength). I find them easier to clip, since they are designed for speed-clipping.
* At the mast I run vertical jacklines, which resemble lower shrouds at a glance, but are separate. I originally installed these 3 years ago to solve a genoa sheet snagging problem on the mast-mounted winches, but quickly learned they gave great stability when working at the mast. Even when standing tall to reach up, the support is still at chest level, preventing any stumbles. This may not work for every boat, but they have proven very handy. They also provide excellent high handholds. Morgan's Cloud has rails around the mast, eliminating the need.
* I like to wear gloves in all rough weather so that I will not hesitate to grab on tight to a wire shroud or lifeline, and so that I will not injure my fingers in the process. I feel this is important.
* I have added a high lifeline from forward, up to the shroud at chest level, and back down aft, aided by the fact that my shrouds are outboard. This really helps, giving me high hand-holds on both sides during the critical "round the hard top" phase. Not so workable with inboard shrouds.
The thing I like best is that John has taken the time to fit the system correctly to his boat, sailed the way he sails it. I'm sure that my system would not fit his boat as well as it fits mine and vice versa. My current system is not my first effort either; it has gone through several generations, much like John's, keeping what worked and discarding that which could be improved.
Make the effort.
Hi Drew,
First off, thanks for the encouragement and I love your last line. That’s really the whole point.
Just to clarify, I never said “Ban Sidedeck Jacklines. What I wrote was “Banishing Sidedeck Jacklines Forever” which is complely different and refers to what we are doing.
That said, I really can’t see any situation or boat where a sidedeck jackline has advantages over centre line. Even if you are on a small boat and clipped to the windward sidedeck jackline when you fall to leeward, the difference in fall distance will be quite small, and become zero at the bow. Actually, the fall distance may be further with the sidedeck jackline because it will be a lot longer that a jackline from mast to bow, and therefore will deflect more.
To me, the best answer to deal with smaller boats is, as two people suggested on the last post, to simply terminate the foredeck jackline further aft from the bow and then rely on the slack in the tether to reach the bow. Perfect? No, as I wrote in the last post, I don’t think there is a perfect solution at the bow, but I can’t see sidedeck jacklines adding anything over centre line.
And the key point is that if sidedeck jacklines are present, people will use them, and I think that’s a bad idea.
The difference in the words ‘ban’ sIdedeck jacklines
versus ‘banishing ‘ side deck jacklines forever
Is not clear to me.
Ed
Hi John,
This comment relates to the construction of jack lines rather than the method but I hope it’s ok here.
I decided to replace my jack lines recently as they were looking a bit tatty though still apparently sound. When I had them off I thought I’d test the stitching by holding each part and giving it a yank. The stitching came part like a zip….
When I had the replacements made the sailmaker used, I think, Tenara thread but also made slide on covers covering the stitching to protect it from UV. The covers are kept in place with a couple of stitches. I haven’t seen any others done this way but all mine will be from now on.
Hi Clive
Good point on protecting the stiches.
Stiched webbing is tidy and looks the best, but I have found that I prefer knots anywhere that’s possible. It means the item is adjustable, meaning it will be adjusted until it’s works the best, and the strength will always be reliable. A knot does reduce the ultimate strength, but doing it right, that’s no problem.
Please also discuss the strength of tethers.
https://www.facebook.com/guochuansailing/posts/842832599191814: “Broken safety harness was found on the starboard float, which means Guo wore life jacket when he fell into the water.”
Hi Gerben.
Strength and loads on tethers and jacklines have been covered in an earlier article here. It’s important, but looking at the pictures, I think it seems this tragic event is directly caused by exactly the topic in this article: Jacklines running along the side decks.
I have been racing the same type of boats a lot, although not as big as this one and not around the globe. There are some factors that are totally different from normal cruisers, but the conclusions are the same. The consequences are just more brutal.
This boat when sailing singlehanded will have an average speed of more than 20 knots, non stop. Not pr hour. Not per day. Average speed around the world, including doldrums and all. This means that normal “cruising” is around 30 knots, touching on 40 now and then. And this is real actual speed over ground. Not the stupid exaggerations many other boats claim.
Handling a giant like this, at speeds like this, alone, non stop for a couple of months, including the roaring fourties and worse, is challenging….! There is no room for mistakes. Planning ahead so you can act before it’s needed is the only way to cope, since things happen too fast otherwise. Awesome stuff, but also crazy and very dangerous.
The focus when preparing a boat like this is speed and technical endurance. When that’s ok, you look at how the safety systems should be. Even with huge budgets, people are just people. We all follow what we think is right. Jacklines along the side decks is a de facto standard most places. So that’s what was put in place.
If I were to sail that boat like that, I would rather have had no harness equipment anywhere on the boat than those jacklines I see on the photo. There is no conceivable situation where they would prevent danger. Falling inwards on the trampoline will be prevented, but that’s no point. Falling the other way is certain death no matter what speed. There is no way anyone can get up those high smooth sides. So this is the perfect example of false feeling of safety being a real killer.
A possible scenario could be:
He was hooked onto the leeward jackline doing a gear inspection. Has to be done several times a day to prevent small problems evolving into big ones. Near the outward end of the main beam, waves quite often send a chopped off piece of water completely flying across the trampoline. When that hits you at 30 knots, you’re not in any type of control and will normally be thrown mostly backwards. The harness/jackline combination here would have pulled him off the trampoline towards the side of the boat. When already at speed that way, it’s hard to not fall over the edge. Unless the tether was extremely short, he would hit the water and be pulled aft with huge force. If he survived the compression of his chest and the tether didn’t snap, he would be skipping along the surface of the water until the tether chafed somewhere and the end would blow back to where it is shown in the picture.
The question here is: Are professional sailors and professional racing teams and racing wharfs that incompetent? Answer: YES. Safety systems are improved when their flawed design is generally accepted. When it comes to jackline layout, this hasn’t happened yet.
In March 2016 I sailed with two brand new Outremer cats from south of France to Tunisia and back as a test run for the owners. Outremer is aiming for the Porsche segment of long distance cruising cats. They have an outstanding reputation and make very nice boats, (lighter than others but still way too heavy for my taste). As a standard, all Outremer boats are delivered with webbing jacklines just inside the railing. If your tether is extremely short, like 1 foot 30 cm long, you will still easily fall over the top wire. It’s very easy to rig perfect continuous jacklines well inboard on these boats, making it impossible to get over the sides of the boat.
Awareness is the problem. This site is way ahead of the general boating public and business when it comes to awareness on this topic. I hope we can spread that.
Hi Gerben,
Will do in the next chapter. In the mean time, I agree with Stein, his tragedy was not a tether strength issue, but rather caused by the attachment point of said tether.
Hi Clive,
An important point. I will be discussing the construction of jacklines, including UV damage, in a later post.
Hi John.
Thanks! I completely support banishing sidedeck jacklines. In fact I have been nagging people about those dangerous and useless things for quite a while.
There is one more message in your piece that i think is an almost as important quality of your layout. Tethers remain in their designated spot on the boat and not on the harness. You show it and mention it here and have pointed it out several times earlier, but as simple as it is, it was still a new idea to me when i first read about it here quite a while ago.
I immediately accepted it as an important improvement, but even an anti traditionalist like me find it’s hard to get rid of the image that a harness comes with a tether dangling from it. That’s why I mention it again. That change means the whole system works as planned, not haphazardly as the tethering practice of each often incompetent crew. Also, wearing the harness is less of a hassle, meaning it will be worn more.
I actually think it might be worth considering to banish tethers following the harness too. On our boat, they have no function anymore and are not allowed aboard.
Hi Stein,
Yes I agree, changing to having the tethers attached to the boat some 20 years ago was a huge step forward for us. I do have a chapter on that here: https://www.morganscloud.com/2014/10/02/staying-aboardpart-iiiour-gear/
Thanks for another educating article, John.
I am currently one of those who have sidedeck jacklines – and now see the benefits instigating some changes. You mention a number of pre-attacheded tethers. So far i guess there are 6 of those in place
– 2 cockpit
– 2 between cockpit and mast, one on each side
– 1 on mast
– 1 on the jackline leading from the mast to bow
Would you care to confirm whether this is a correct interpretation of the setup? In case you already have done so, a small pointer to the location on the site is appreciated.
Enjoy the day!
Hi Petter,
Yes, that’s right. Just one missing: the green rope one (see photo above) that we have permanently attached to the boom gallows.