Re: Snap Shackle vs Carbiner

(PeteCresswell) wrote:
> Per Brian Nystrom:
>> He could also release it easily and quickly if necessary, 
>> something that's not as easy to do with a calf tether.
> 
> What's the entanglement scenario with a calf tether?

You're planning to connect it to the cockpit or the foredeck, which 
means that if the boat rolls, it's going to wrap the cord around the 
hull and drag you with it.

> They seem to have come from the stand-up-paddle board crowd - who
> paddle relatively large boards (10-12 feet long) and use them in
> the surf.  
> 
> With the one I'm testing, the only thing I see is that it might
> be *too* easy to remove.   It's just Velcro with a one-inch tab
> of webbing hanging out. The Velcro overlay is about 3-5 inches
> depending on leg size/wetsuit thickness.   You grab the tab and
> pull - not very hard, even - and the thing comes loose.
> 
> Am I missing something?

How easy do you think it will be to reach your calf/ankle when you're 
being pummeled in surf, particularly if the boat is twisting and 
dragging you as it winds the tether around the hull?

At least with Chris Duff's method, the likelihood of the tether wrapping 
around the boat is low (attaching it to the stern toggle would allow the 
cord to simply twist if the boat rolled), releasing at the waist would 
be easier and he used a long enough tether that he could put some 
distance between his body and the boat if necessary. As I said before, 
the only reason he used a tether at all was due to his complete 
dependence on his boat for survival.