those gunwhale MOB lines?....

[Ben Jacobsen]

yeah, they actually work!  My Dad missed the straps on a tack this weekend and went in the soup.  He instinctively reached for the gunwhale and ended up with a line in his hand (not even knowing they were there).  He then helped himself to the back using them where I dragged him back into the boat.  <30s from the time he went in until the time he was back aboard the boat and we were sailing...  So yeah, thanks to however thought they were a good idea.  I thought they were silly looking and that they'd never work (you wouldn't be able to grab them when you needed to).  But they do and they work well.

I should have a video clip of this soonish.  I have the footage.

[Terry Phillips]

The man to thank is Paul Young.

[Lee Shuckerow]

The man to thank is Paul Young.

You are correct. I believe it was the solution to not having lifelines for ISAF legality. Also in order to legally race in PHRF they need to be there for the same reason. Some PHRF committees have a problem with no lifelines, you have to convince them that its a keelboat and those are lifelines required to race.

[Olaf Bleck]

You are correct. I believe it was the solution to not having lifelines for ISAF legality. Also in order to legally race in PHRF they need to be there for the same reason. Some PHRF committees have a problem with no lifelines, you have to convince them that its a keelboat and those are lifelines required to race.

Having researched this out of my own frustration, I'm not sure whose rules these lines meet, except that they come in handy sometimes... :-)

ISAF Cat 5 (inshore ocean racing) doesn't require any lines, while ISAF Cat 4 requires full double lines and pulpits.

PHRF org's around the country all have their own requirements, and regattas also have their own.  For instance, in my area PHRF requires only a motor, while the regattas generally require that you meet PHRF and then either require Cat 4 or 5 and sometimes a 24ft minimum length.  However, some NOR's also allow the RC to admit any boat they want anyhow.  Just be sure to contact them early enough to allow them to be comfortable with the boat meeting their insurance and permit requirements and BS like that.

[Justin Scott]

History of the gunwale safety lines is that the credit belongs to Paul Young.

When Rondar had only built the first test/demo version of the Rondar Viper, he had to put up with three MOBS in quick succession.
The first was when Zim put the Rondar Viper on its side and when they came up, Kay was missing. He had enthusiastically leapt for the keel (the traditional approach for those raised on tin rigs and small bulbs)and then discovered there was no way back as the boat self righted  before he was ready.
The second was sailing two up across Chicester bar with Fat Andy in a healthy breeze and FA decided to hike without the straps.
The third, the following weekend, was when I walked backwards off the boat as I retrieved the spinnaker. Remember the old system, just kept coming and coming.
The halyard (separate line back then) jammed so the spinnaker stayed up. I held onto the rudder stock briefly but seconds later Mr Young was sailing a Viper single handed AGAIN! with chute up and 25 knots. He got it sorted but he was done with this madness and had designed the safety lines a week later. 

He didnt give a flying fig for ISAF or PHRF, just wanted to make the boat safer. He installed them on all new Rondar Vipers and asked the class tech chair (Zimm) to consider making them a class requirement.

However I spotted the opportunity to smoke some peace pipe with the PHRF measurers, so ahead of an LIS PHRF event (AYC Fall series) I offered to draft some special requirements for the Viper for participation in PHRF. Rather than risk getting necks entangled with lifelines, I offered that as an alternative to lifelines we would be prepared to design special safety lines to fit under the gunwales for PHRF racing. They agreed and appreciated our proactive concern about safety and we were allowed to participate in LIS PHRF.

The other PHRF guidelines (PFD at all times, feet in straps if body is extended beyond gunwales, carry a strobe etc) were genuine result of working together with PHRF. The safety lines was a bit opportunistic. That was PY and was coming anyway.

[Olaf Bleck]

The other PHRF guidelines (PFD at all times, feet in straps if body is extended beyond gunwales, carry a strobe etc) were genuine result of working together with PHRF.

Interesting.  Which PHRF organization?

[Justin Scott]

See our website for the guidelines. USS has a PHRF cttee. Each area, really each event, can decide whether to accept Vipers and require the guidelines. They are a suggestion .

They are a bit dated now and some of the guidelines have made it to class rules eg PFD, so someone could volunteer to update in conjunction with USS but they probably do the job.

[Ben Jacobsen]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr6kM1SUA4M

and here's the DW run (we missed the layline after the gybe and were super tight):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsBHPRJdC9U

[Kyle Reese-Cassal]

Ha!  I pulled the same move last weekend in a regatta, only I was driving.  I missed the strap, but had a foot under the bungee.  Went off the back with the tiller in my hand.  Next thing I knew I was hanging on to the rudder mount pretending that I was swimming with dolphins.  The boat kept going forward!