It's impossible to enforce the use of a tether once the team leaves the beach, at best it will be a guideline and a personal choice made by the team.
Sailing is not football... it's not a game about what you can get away with under the nose of the official... its not about bending the rules....
Agree with the rules or don't race... You follow the rules... or you don't race sailboats... It should never be about enforcing the rules.
Point made. I will not be attending ANY regatta where a rule made up by an uneducated OA has the potental to reduce my safety at sea. Although it could be a nice payday for my widow and her new husband. How did your first husband die Ms. Kathy... He got tangled in his mandated teather and drown. It worked out for me and Pedro nicely.
In an effort for an OA to reduce their liability they end up exposing themselves further. Still seems like saftey at see issues should be guidelinds not rules. Right up there with it's your decision and your decision only if you push off the beach or not.
+1
Having myself tethered to the boat (small, extremely maneuverable multihull) can most definitely be a liability. I won't race with one attached. Have you ever had your sailing buddy say to you "don't let me die, dude" as he's being dragged under water tangled up in a turtling boat? I have and we both narrowly avoided the worst [censored] awful situation (particularly him). You'll never convince me to purposely clip myself into a boat that could easily end up flipping, twisting, rolling, and upside down. No way.
And as Dave pointed out - for the OA to require it is putting them in a potentially tough spot too. Require things that aren't potential liabilities - EPIRBs, VHFs, float plans, charts, flares, etc. If you feel the need to mention them, advise/suggest things that carry some liability with them.
Requiring a personal tether on a boat that is more stable upside down that it is right side up is a gigantic liability.
