Yes, that is snow and ice on deck and, yes, we are going sailing! Knowing how to safely move about on deck this day is critical and an “Essential Skill”.

Moving about on the moving deck of an underway small boat is not something that comes naturally to most people as nearly all of us spend our time walking around on flat solid ground.  Your deck on the other hand is rolling, pitching and yawing, sometimes all at once, and sometimes violently enough a bull rider at a PBR event would have a rough time hanging on.

The ability to not only move about but to also conduct work while pitching about is paramount to you and your boats safety.  Reefing, fouled sheets, loose anchors, loose lashings on deck stowed gear, fouled jib furling line or a jib furler that just won’t move in either direction.  There are just times when you have to go out on deck while underway.

Then there are those times when going out on deck is done for pleasure, how else can you get to the bow and watch the dolphins play in your bow wave, even at night when they are lit by phosperesence, it is pure joy that no one should miss.

Learning this skill can only be done by practicing.  So, let’s take a look at what you need to know to safely move about on a deck while underway.  The following rules and points are in no particular order, you need to heed them all.

ALWAYS wear shoes!  I can tell you from experience, no shoes equal very sore if not broken toes, not only from stubbing them on deck hardware but from slipping on wet decks and slamming into things.  Shoes, strap on sandals or seaboots are best, flip flops should be avoided.

Run a Jack Line; Before getting underway run a jack line (you can see our yellow jackline running along the deck in the cover photo) from a pad eye or cleat at the bow to the same at the aft end of the boat, past the cockpit if possible.  If not terminate it as close to the cockpit as possible, so it is within reach of those about to leave the cockpit.  If necessary, run a jackline for people in the cockpit to snap their tethers into.

Jacklines can be made out of wire, rope or flat webbing, attach them to pad-eyes, ring bolts, cleats.  I prefer flat webbing as rope will roll under your feet if stepped on, wire is strong but if not taut will also roll out from under your feet and is harder to secure to the boat.  Ready-made jacklines made from flat polyester webbing with sewn loops on the ends ready for attaching and available in several lengths can be purchased from your chandler.  Avoid Nylon webbing as nylon swells and stretches when wet, suddenly making your jacklines several feet longer than you want and then when it dries becomes bar taut.  You cannot get around this problem so just avoid the material.  When you are not sailing remove your jacklines, so they don’t suffer from premature aging from ultra-violet light.

Use a Harness and tether; Wearing a harness and tether clipped into a jackline is a system that is designed to keep you attached to the boat.  Depending on how much slack is in the jackline and the length of your tether you can still find yourself overboard but, still attached to the boat.  In addition, these items will not prevent you from getting hurt if you get thrown about on deck because you aren’t holding on.  You still need to hold on!  I like the tethers with one common attachment point on the harness end with two leads, one about 6’ long and one about 3’ long.  Use the long one to move about on deck, especially if you need to move away from the jackline, like up to the mast to reef.  Use the short tether to then hook yourself to the mast so you don’t get thrown down on deck.  No matter how you configure a jackline your tether is still going to hang up on any item that sticks above deck level, moving about, especially when the chore requires you to move from one side of the deck to the other can be frustrating!  However, it is infinitately less frustrating than watching your boat sail away as you tread water!

Keep your body weight low! You don’t have to crawl, but if that is the only way you are comfortable, so be it.  Usually though just bending over so you can hold onto the handrails along the cabin top and the lifelines is low enough.

Learn where your hand holds are; Where are your hand holds? Where you first leave the cockpit, find one for each hand.  You will likely use the same ones coming back into the cockpit.  Where are your hand holds as you move forward to the shrouds, as you step up to the mast or move forward to the bow?  When working at the mast what is available to hold onto, if your reefing is done at the mast what can you hold onto as you work the outhaul lines along the boom?  Practice will teach you what to hold onto and this knowledge needs to become instinctive so you can move about in the dark with confidence.

Ok, there are the rules, now you need to practice and practice and practice.  Moving about on a pitching deck is a skill that can only be learned by doing, having the confidence to do it in all conditions and at night is an Essential Skill!

Now, one last item.  If your mate still says you are not allowed to leave the cockpit under any circumstances find out why!  Usually, I hear from reluctant mates it is because if the Captain falls overboard they don’t know how to get him/herself safely back to port nor do they know how to recover someone who has gone overboard.  As Captains, Masters, Owners, Chief Cook and Bottle Washer, or whatever you wish to be called it is your responsibility to see that your crew knows how to recover a man-overboard, how to conduct a search and if all else fails to get themselves home safely!

Get out on the water and practice!