Based on the last two chapters in this Online Book, we can now say with near-certainty that, while going over the side and being dragged is not necessarily fatal (except on fast boats), it’s way safer to stay on the boat in the first place…well, duh, John.
And that’s also backed up in the worst possible way by several recent fatalities from dragging.
That’s easy to say, but something I have long despised is “experts” who tell us about dangers that we should reduce, without making practical suggestions about how that can be done. Not the AAC way.
Or, to put it another way, the fact that most of the boats I see out there still have jackline systems with a high drag risk is not because the owners are lazy or stupid, but rather because reducing drag risk, in a practical and usable way, and without making it no fun at all to sail the boat is challenging.
That said, Phyllis and I developed, and used for 10 seasons and tens of thousands of miles, a near-zero drag-risk system on our McCurdy and Rhodes 56 (M&R 56) that worked well and did not impede our ability to sail the boat, or the fun of doing so.
But that’s a big boat, this gets more difficult as the boat gets smaller.
So in this chapter I’m going to share the changes and safety compromises we had to make when adapting that system to our new-to-us 36-foot J/109.
I will be assuming that you are clear on the fundamentals of our system since I’m not going to cover all of that again. To that end, please read, or reread if it’s been a while:
- Continuity of attachment and watch the video.
- Better jacklines.
I will also not be covering building the jackline and tether system since I have already covered all of that in three chapters starting here.
Looking ready for battle with the pants tucked and knee pads! Thanks for your commitment to sharing a full dress rehearsal for going forward as if it were an actual gale. These details are important and discussion of compromises for smaller boats will be invaluable for rigging jack lines on my Sabre 34.
Hi Ben,
Yes, knee pads are standard garb on the J/109. It’s a great deck layout, but more for racing than cruising, so hard on the old knees. Glad it will be useful to you.
Great article with plenty of food for thought as I redo my jackline system on my J120. I have always used a conventional system, but never been really happy with it. Our dodger is just like yours with a beefy frame and grab bars, so I can easily copy your system up to the mast. We have to use the foredeck hatch for A-sail hoists and takedowns, but we are quite conservative about the situations when we use it at all, i.e. not at night, not in winds over 10, and not in seas over 2-3 feet. I don’t race anymore, so the A-sail only goes up for fun and it’s not fun if conditions are hairy. I may use a split system on the foredeck to get around the hatch. Lastly, at 76 I count myself fortunate to not need knee pads yet.
Hi Lloyd,
Sure, I would guess you could split the forward jackline to keep the forehatch clear given that the 120 is larger and also is quite a lot fuller forward than the 109
Hi, I have a Pearson 36-2 and I have my Jackeline’s attached to the base of my cockpit winches , fed below the dodger to the mast and back to the other side. Attached to the Jackeline’s is a tether just long enough to reach the lifelines. When I am attached to my life jacket I cannot fall over board. We sail in Newfoundland and are always attached to our Jackeline’s. we also have a mast cradle. Any thoughts?
Hi Harold,
Yes two:
Number 2 is the reason I went with shorter jacklines just covering the dodger area.
Hi John,
Just speculations from me, but I’ve had a seemingly similar situation on another boat, looking for strong points. Perhaps this is done the same way? This wasn’t my boat, so drilling holes was not an option, but so was going to sea in fairly rough weather with side deck jack lines, so a temporary solution was needed.
I used rope, put a tied loop around the base of the halyard winch on the side of the main hatch, led it under the dodger edge (it was attached with straps) forwards to the mast where It was attached to the mast base. This was mirrored on the other side. The boat was smaller and the dodger was low profile.
The tether had a spliced on small low friction ring with rubber covered edges on the jack line that could move freely between the dodger and the mast. The tether was just long enough to reach over the dodger so one could clip on when standing at that side of the cockpit, facing forward. It was also short enough so that anywhere along the available reach one could max get the legs outside of the lifelines, if trying really hard. Location for clipping on and off in the cockpit was restricted, but otherwise it worked really well.
I think this layout is only possible with a low profile dodger, but worth considering, perhaps. I don’t think using the winch as an anchoring point is ideal, but we had no problems with it. Probably better to put a purpose specific anchoring point at the ideal location. The key advantage with the principle, I think, is the ability to clip onto the main jackline when still inside the cockpit, while still having it short enough to make it impossible to pass the lifelines, which I agree is not easy to achieve on most boats. It might be easier to get the same behaviour if it’s possible to have the jacklines, or a single one, closer to the centreline. Anyway, I think a small dodger would be necessary.
Hi Stein,
Sure, a good temporary solution, but as I say in my comment we do have to be aware of more jackline deflection as they get longer.
Thanks for all the detail in this article. It’s been extremely helpful to this newbie! We are switching from side jacklines (thanks to your articles) and were having the same issues getting around the dodger on our 47’ boat. Your intermediate dodger tether will work great for us, too.
I wonder if you found a new source for the webbing material? I read through several older comments and know some of the past suppliers you used no loner are in business.
Thanks
Hi Eric,
Here you go: https://www.morganscloud.com/jhhtips/source-for-custom-jacklines/
Also Jimmie Green marine who are good folks and ship world wide: https://jimmygreen.com/webbing-jackstays/246-16722-jackstay-polyester-webbing-25mm#/212-colour-blue
Hi John, I have often thought that maybe we are looking at this from the wrong angle. Instead of continually clipping 2 lanyards on and off it is possible to route 2 unbroken lines well anchored either end and as close to the centre line as possible through a number of snap shackles on short strops securely anchored to existing deck hardware or fitted padeyes. This system would enable you to remain clipped on at all times while the jackline would be temporarily unclipped to allow your lanyard past and then reclipped behind. A small handle on the strop inboard of the snap shackle would add a welcome secure handhold during the process of unclipping and reclipping the jackline especially in gnarly conditions. I have not tested this on my 34″ custom designed boat in Mauritius, but am looking at it as the case for the ineffectiveness of the traditionally rigged jacklines is very compelling. Thank you for the thoroughness and detail in your articles. I am sure that the reciprocal contributions of like minded readers and commenters who add enormously to the project has not escaped you.
Hi Rob,
I agree that remaining continuously clipped in and avoiding hassle are great goals that will make us use the harness more. However, I think the system developed by AAC achieves that better. The key point is that it does NOT use the normal twin tethers that one carries around on the harness. The tethers remain attached to the area the belong to, on jacklines or other points. The user moves between overlapping tethers, where that is needed. On our cat, we remain on the same tether from sitting at the wheel to the forestay or the stern. It’s impossible to get past the lifelines anywhere. This is possible because of the wide decks, of course, but shows the quality of the principle.
Especially on boats with more challenging deck plans, the tethers need to be adapted for each location, so they give sufficient reach and don’t allow falls too far. If on fixed points, some tethers may also need shock absorbers. That can be done up front with the AAC system. In theory, it can also be done partly with adjustable tethers on our harness, but when we’re in a situation when a harness is really needed, nobody is qualified to make that adjustment. When stressed, our ability to make reliable evaluations is severely reduced. Thus, the adjustment option is useless. The system MUST be tailored ahead of time to every location on the boat, by design. The AAC system is the best one for that.
There is another principle that I think has partly similar qualities, and that somewhat resembles the system you mention: Having inboard tracks around the boat. The tether is attached to a car that follows the user. On some boats it’s possible then to stay clipped on from the cockpit to all useful areas, while having a tether short enough to not allow falls past the lifelines.
However, it’s an expensive system, and I think it’s very hard to adapt to most existing boats. It could be designed as part of a new build, though. If I was to build a monohull in the future, (I doubt it, but who knows) I’d consider such a track. I still think that consideration would lead me to adapt the boat design to fit the AAC system. I really think it’s brilliantly simple and adaptable to any boat. Smooth and easy in real life use. Just flat out the right solution.
Hi Stein,
Thanks for clarifying that this is multiple tethers, not a twin tether. I tried classic twin tethers, one short and one long, years ago and found it truly the worst and most difficult solution of the many I experimented with.
Hi Rob,
Interesting idea. My gut tells me that it would be more awkward than our multiple tether system, and probably higher drag risk because of the added deflection of the long line and that will get worse when an intermediate snap shackle is released.
Another key point here is that the multi tether system kind of evolved on our M&R 56 over about the first five years we had her, and then we used it for another 25 years, simply because it was easier and faster than anything else we had tried.
I think the key here is that we are unclipping and clipping at mid-torso, always in the same place in relation to our bodies so it very quickly becomes second nature when compared to clipping and unclipping something at our feet that requires different positioning at each place and often getting into a sitting or kneeling position that is different at every point which applies to all other systems including the one you postulate, i think.
All that said, my thinking could be confirmation bias, so the only way to know is to try both systems over time and see. There are just to many variables and opportunities for unintended consequences to judge in theory.
Brilliant, thank you John, as I have been paralyzed by indecision on this. I particularly like the midships ‘lateral thinking’ – that would never have occurred to me in a million years.
We still have our liferaft on the foredeck as an obstacle, but a second cross-decks webbing forward of the mast might give us most of the foredeck up to the staysail (as well as keeping the forehatch clear) so we’ll try that.
It did just occur to me that we could run a centre jackline over the top of the liferaft and secure one end with the hydrostatic release. Hammar rate the breaking strength of their sling at 15kN. I bet this isn’t what Hammar were thinking of though, and also the two-for-one just feels wrong. But I’m posting this thought just in case I’ve become some kind of genius.
Hi Simon,
Thanks for the kind words.
Great idea to use a Hammar release in that way. That said, if it were me I would be looking at ways to get that raft off the foredeck for reasons I delve into here: https://www.morganscloud.com/2023/06/17/liferafts-for-cruisers-positioning-and-mounting/
Thanks John – I will keep on thinking about the liferaft conundrum