Man Overboard Line

I pretty much sail from March in the late winter and on into November in the fall.  The above photo was taken in mid-April.  Notice the snow is still on the mountains.  The day after I took this photo, it snowed at the marina - wet snow, yes; melted quickly, yes; but snow.  The water is cold.
I also sail single-handed frequently.  So, safety is a concern that I take seriously.  
In March, I posted a new blog post regarding the pull-down line that I've installed for my swim ladder.  It will let me deploy the ladder easily if I am unfortunate enough to have fallen in the water.
Another safety line that I have used for many years is a man-overboard line that I drag behind the boat.  In the past, this line has been about six feet long and tied to the stern rail.  I started thinking last winter about how difficult it might be to catch that line if I fell into the lake and the boat kept on sailing without me (ie: the auto-helm is steering the boat).  So, I got a longer piece of polypropylene line and with the aid of a fid, made a loop in one end.  I then made additional loops every four or five feet.  The rope ends with another loop and a float like you might see on a water ski rope.

The first loop is rove through the portside mooring cleat and the line dragged behind the boat.  This new rope is about five times longer than the old line and (because it is polypropylene) it floats.  This makes the line easier to catch...... AND, it won't tangle in the propeller.

 
The new man overboard line does not seem to slow the boat down at all and is there if I need it.

If in doubt - err on the side of safety....
(BTW - the line at the top of the last photo is the stern rail.)
Barnacle Bill Holcomb
BarnacleBillHolcomb@gmail.com