Bosun's chair or Boatswain's chair.

So I was introduced to the bosun's chair this period of day's off.  It is a chair with padding to allow work to be performed aloft of high up the mast.  My friends Billy and Tammy of S/V Ruby Begonia needed the spreader boots re-attached and a flag pulley attached to the spreader.  So we hoisted Billy up, cleated the halyard off, and let him perform his work.  On the way down the bosun chairs rigging grabbed him under his ribcage and took his breath away, he quickly recovered.

S/V Ruby Begonia - Billy


S/V Our Way Too needed to replace their steaming light with and LED and remove some plastic shroud covering that was causing corrosion.  So First Mate Katie was using her foot to operate the self tailing winch unlike three of us hoisting Billy up.....

S/V Our Way Too - Dean


Wiki states that instead of high ranking officers climbing aboard ship they were hoisted with a Boatswain's chair and since they were usaully heavier with the higher rank and required more sideboys to lift them.

In conclusion having an electric self tailing winch is awesome!  I want a flag pulley too, but I'm still shy of heights.

Learning the safety features of the marina!

 

I am washing my Hunter 25 and slip (while wearing Teva's and not my boat shoes) falling down the side of my boat hitting my leg then fall onto the concrete finger pier then into the marina.  My leg felt as if it were broken but just feels like it and looks like it, thank goodness.  Tammy was startled and suggested that I swim over to the ladder to get out, since I couldn't pull myself up and she couldn't either.  I took my iPhone, wallet, GMC key fob out of my pockets, while my lifeproof case came open and drowned my iPhone.  Swimming to the ladder took three tries before learning how to use it, which all I had to do was pull on it and it slowly slides into the water then walk up the ladder.  Someone walked by just glancing at me.

Lessons:  I think next time I will go ask, if I see someone in the water if they are ok.  I will definitely learn how to use any other safety features I see, before the need arises.  The old saying 'be careful out there' is pointing at me.........ouch!  Key fob still good and opening my car doors, but not my expensive iPhone; has technology gone backwards?  Oh yeah, that's the bottom part of my thigh.