The Ideal Rescue Boat

99    reason for wanting control at the tow boat end is that i dont trust the bodies on the tow to react quick enough if a sudden coming together is to be avoided.If tow rope is dropped ,it can always be recovered.... I hope. Most of our towing is done from the remarkably sturdy console seat which equates to your parascending pole. It works well.Though we never use the bridle, I am interested in trying it out and finding the best and safest way to use it.

hey foaminatthedeck, youv'e almost got me foamin at the mouth with those comments. I think that youv'e got some stick coming your way!!!!

aint sure if your serious or kidding.Do you do it on a duck pond or on the open sea!

We can all,I assume,cope admirably on our own,but two men are better able to recover casualties from the water, that point alone is sufficient reason to have crew on board.

Whats all this about always needing to be ready to go swimming.Who you kidding, you just told us that you prefer to be on your own,so, WHO IS DRIVING WHEN YOU ARE SWIMMING? 

I was laying marks out in a force 7 and mountainous seas last weekend and would have struggled on my own.Almost flipped the RIB . Still wondering about the sanity of those yachties and the OOD   But it was fun

The majority of the fleet was in the pub!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOT BITING THE BAIT ON THAT...... COMMERCIAL v CLUB DRIVERS

Originally posted by michel Still trying to find out HOW to use the towing bridle.Internet search produced bridle details and diagrams ,but I am unable to find anything regarding the practicality of using one. No way am I tying off the tow rope on the bridle ring.I may well want to cast that tow off urgently.So how do I secure the tow rope onto the ring NOT THE BOAT in such a way that i can disengage instantly without first stopping the boat ?

Why do you want to be able to release the tow rope from the towing boat whilst driving along? I can't see how this would ever be helpful - all it would result in would be the towed boat drifting over a load of loose rope and getting it caught round its rudder. You also end up losing your tow rope. The non secured end of the towline would normally be on the boat being towed, which then once released the rope doesn't get knotted up in anything as the water holds it out straight. Most towlines on bridles I have ever seen have a large carabina spliced onto one end. This then clips onto directly onto the bridle. This is "quick release" enough to deal with problems like getting the towed boat caught round mooring buoys or it capsizing, where the first thing you do is stop anyway.

If you really want an "in emergency pull cord" solution to detach the towline whilst moving along, it can only really be done when the towline is attached within the boat, anything on the bridle increases the risk of a loose end of rope becoming caught round the prop. A safety boat I used to use (18 foot dory) had a 3 foot high 4 inch square section metal post mounted directly in the centre of the boat from its previous life as a boat used to tow parascenders. This was ideal for towing boats as it had been mounted in such a position as to not affect the steering - after all, towing a parachute with someone hanging off it at 30 knots is significantly more critical and difficult than towing a small dinghy at 5 knots!

 Now that was quick! you two guys been sitting at your P.C.s just waiting for a post!!!!  That 49er, is a damn good point,but it brings up the concern that buoyancy aids will not support an unconscious persons head clear of the water,but that life jackets do ?

Wholeheartily agree with you that two bodies required on safety boats and that the crew should do the donkey work! (Hope that my regular boat partner aint reading this.)When it comes to laying marks though I tend to make it a team effort,unless conditions are that rough that the helm has to hold position.

I like that comment Phat Buoy...when you think that you know it all ......

I agree

Heres another question. What precisely do you, as drivers, do when you are raising marks in strong tidal or wind conditions?

 

Originally posted by michel patiently awaiting posts

Do a Safety boat course, work with experienced helms and practice in all weathers and conditions.

Then go out and practice again and again - a bit like you do to become proficient at sailing. Then when you think you know it all - go out and practice again and again.

There is no substitute for experience.