Since it was so Hobie-specific, I tried this in the Hobie AI forum, but did not get much in the way of useful responses.
Basically I am looking for some way to automagically depower the sail if/when I go overboard in heavy air. Nor light air, not every day, not even most of the time..... Just Heavy Air....
I had one of those "interesting" experiences on Thursday:
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Cross-onshore winds gusting regularly to 25 and occasionally to 30 and a little voice started whispering in my ear "Time to go in or yer gonna get huuurrrrrrt."
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Sailed almost to the beach, furled the main in waist-deep water, turned the boat around to face the wind and was walking it diagonally towards shore stern-first.
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Stumbled, fell in shallow water
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Grabbed an ama, but could not hold on for the full ride and, in retrospect, may have been better off not holding on.... -)
- Boat blew about a tenth of a mile down the beach and finally came to rest in some heavy dune grass where I retrieved it.
The thought of a tether (a-la Weta) now crosses my mind against this happening in similarly heavy air - but further from shore.
Not every day.... just on those "Special" days.... -)
But I am not sure I want to be tethered to that thing unless there's some safety factor sheet-wise.
OK, the no-brainer is a quick-release shackle on the helmsman's end of the tether - just like Weta recommends to keep a turtle-ing Weta from drowning you or a raging AI from dragging you senseless...
But you pull that quick release and now the boat is gone... what surf ski paddlers call a "Blow-Away".... and there you are in the middle of the bay looking and feeling foolish...
So we need something to tame that boat when we fall overboard in heavy air.
What I am thinking
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Replace the main sheet block's hook attachment to the sail with a quick-release snap shackle like this http://denverrope.com/images3/trigger_shackle.jpg
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When conditions seem to call for a tether, connect the tether to the shackle two ways: first the main tether line connected to the same place that the mainsheet is connected..... second, leaving 6" or so of loop in the main line, another length of line to the shackle release lanyard.
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Helmsman falls overboard, tether first pulls the shackle release lanyard, then transfers the load to the mainsheet
- Mainsheet is then detached from the sail, boat weathervanes stern-to-wind, sail flogs, and the helmsman is back in charge - albeit neck-deep in the water....
Thoughts from Those Who Live in the Real World ?