Happy New Year Kevin ,
Distance ocean racing ,particularly in seas and higher wind strengths is a type of racing most cat sailors actually do not experience ,or seldom experience .Most race in Bays ,-lakes and protected waters. As a result set ups and preferences are dependant on use . Most chicken lines are used to prevent the crew from taking a trip around the bridle wires ,or worse as I saw one team do both get stuck on them by their trap hook after they stuffed a bow at high steed. They were helpless as the boat reversed and continued sailing on its way with the two of them stuck on the bridal wires.Funny site but scary .
After this type of experience most just put a line aft to the stern they can readily clip into .
What ocean coastal sailors experience in larger seas and surf is something different . Been blasted by waves and surf off the back of the boat numerous times . --Remember sailing through Diamond Shoals at Cape Hatteras one year on my back dragging alongside in the water,still hooked into the trap ,but my feet were taken out by huge surf there evan though in footstraps, was still steering the 100 yards or so until we regained control. -Usually a huge group of photographers on the Cape point so must have provided some comic relief to the scene and some interesting photos of how not to round a cape.
The worst was 98 , rounding the Cape before Hatteras , one side of it was gusting up to 30mph winds in 2 ft seas , rounding it we were suddenly in 40 mph wind gusts and 20 ft walls of water from troughs to the tops . Remember watching the younger Aussie team on a H-20 that leg go off the top of one large set and flip over in mid air on the way down . ---whew ,-thats some exteme sailing .-
Illustrating the different requirements of this type of ocean racing though nothing helps in those conditions except the experiences of having been there before .
Anyway the need to be locked into place on the wire both for and aft is needed in those more extreme conditions, it also helps reduce fatigue on those 6 hour spin runs in large confused seas.,-In some conditions slack from the lead line to dogbone would be too much and pull from full weight for and aft would be difficult , or may release or pull the dogbone from the trap hook .
Safety and fatigue factors make this type of lock in position system the best for some , a good knife is a must .
I-honestly have not yet tried the cleat on the harness system ,-used a stern line and a seperate line with a clip that is an optional forward attachment ,-Paid the price a few times last year not having it hooked in , usually on the wire steering with a tiller in one hand and traveler or main in the other so am reliant on the crew to hook it in forward . That is sometimes not possible in those contitions .
Some use adjustable climbers knots with lead on a side stationary line . Some use the safety line and just foot straps .
Working on some new ideas ,-have had a number of harnesses break from metal fatique , that is another factor to consider in the total set up .
Rule one is to remove gadgets and moving parts when possible and make things neat clean functional and as simple reliable and safe as possible .
Looking into a Jav , for some practise on that particular boat which may require a different approach and set up particular to that design .Lower volume hulls ,-more balancing and for and aft movement is required to sail it efficiently , This will be a much more physically demanding -fatigue factor type cat design to sail 1000 miles for all teams-
Gotta start working out again in earnest and hope my old frame holds up through another one this May as well as the boat and set ups for it .
Hapy New Year
