Carolyn and I are about to head out tonight around Hatteras. Has anyone used jack lines and if so how did you attach them?
Yes we do whenever we are offshore or overnight they are fitted.
We are still using the ones we got with the boat, we use the front cleats on the cross-beam and the rear side cleats to attach them - they only just fit.
I have also crafted some dynema strops (loop at both ends) to go around the mast and out to the line of the jack lines and the jackline runs through the loop at that end. This allows me to stay clipped on all the way to the mast if I need to.
We did have additional stitching added to our end-loops on the jacklines to strengthen them - if they ever really get used they need to withstand the shock load of me being towed through the water ay 8 knots…
We attached from the base of the support stay forward of the mast and back to the aft cleats. This allowed us to get to the jib stay without having enough tether to fall forward, plus the mast area.
Even though catamarans don’t have a high side per se, we typically favor the windward side.
We had a firm rule that no one could leave the cockpit at night unless someone else was at the helm. Tethers at night if someone was going forward. Tethers during the day if wind was over 15ish knots or if there were big seas.
Any tethering suggestions for getting to back of coach roof. We have a furling boom so no attachment point to clip to along the boom.
Thanks
On ours, there is a dynema line on both sides of the boom that runs the length attached to underside of the haystack.
On the other question and based on others replies: I finally attached my line from the port side cleat on the cross beam, up to the first rung on mast, then across the coach roof to the starboard aft cleat. This way I can attach almost as soon as I lead the cockpit. And does not get in the way of the jib sheet. There is a small “need to step over the line” stage coming out of the cockpit but does not seem to be too bad. The line I got with from the factory was about 5’ too short so attached a small dynema addition. Will make something more permanent later.