safety knife

Bernard_Bill

Bernard_Bill

New Member
Who carries a safety knife, who should carry a safety knife and of those who do, do they know when to use it ?

I might add, I don’t carry a knife as my laser doesn’t have much in the way of ‘string’ but should I be carrying one ? (and if so what should I get ?)</SPAN>
 
Hi

I carry one as some one in my club capsized and got the tiller stuck between him and his life jacket a quick draw of his very sharp knife cut his lifejacket and cut him free .

187490
 
If im working in the safety rib i'll have one, and also if im sailing in a trapeze boat, i never bother in the laser.
 
187490 said:
why do you need one on a trapeze boat and no other ?

187490
Click to expand...
Because you are far more likely to get entangled following a capsize in a trapeze boat due to the greater likleihood of being thrown into the rig and the greater chance of more string associated with kites and control lines etc compared to a laser
 
I would carry one on a trap boat, with more lines it's a necessity, so much more can go wrong. But on the laser, when you roll, all you have to worry about getting tangled in is the mainsheet, not that big a deal
 
I had a "challenging" downwind capsize a few weeks ago (righting it was challenging) and had a bit of an argument with the mainsheet wanting to keep itself tied round my legs. However, it did not want to pull me under or anything - just a matter of slipping it all off from round my feet without the need to cut it (actually I would think it easier slipping it off than cutting it).

I don't carry a knife on my Laser. Never occurred to me but a worthwhile question. I also never used to carry one on a trapeze boat - where it was only capsizes to windward that worried me. Being thrown round the bow or onto the mast, etc. might have hurt but you tended to be in the up (surface) side of everything.

That said, I remember reading about the tragedy in the UK Laser 4000 nationals this year http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/6923522.stm. And I remember doing the Fireball Nationals there same year as the "earthquake".

Ian
 
Not much to worry about in a Laser, but I carry a knife for the day someone else needs me to cut them away from their rigging. I sail the Radial a lot, and that means I am sailing with kids. I'm a parent, and I'd like to know that the old guy sailing in the same fleet as my 14 year old is thinking ahead when my kid isn't.
 
i carry a blade all the time, and especially when i am sailing/instructing. like others have said, there isn't a lot in a laser to catch on, but in my mind, it doesn't matter how improbable it is, when i, or a buddy is stuck underwater, i want to have to tools i need.

*damn, i just sounded like a boy scout there! :-/ *
 
I've carried a knife now for 25 years of Laser-sailing. It's a "Spyderco" brand, stainless, serrated blade folding knife that is clipped to my life jacket and backed up by a small-diameter length of shock cord.

So far, I've never had to use it in a rescue situation, except for the time I cut loose a big Bat Ray that was hooked on a "ghost-fishing" rig. He was glad I had it!

Dennis Olson
Tomales Bay, CA
 
personally i would carry a knife cuz a few days ago i was sailing a full rig in around 25 (only 145 pounds) and i deathrolled and i flew forward and hit the mast and i coodnt rite the boat cuz my foot was tangled in the centerboard shockcord and it was pretty hard but after around 10 mins (how lucky of me) i got out and rited the boat and kept sailing... otherwise the day was crazy!
 
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