This is the same system Thomas setup on the former Osprey (later Blue Feather Grace, and now Audasea), before his current Osprey. It works just as he describes it and doesn’t require an additional lock. Normally, I just use it to secure the hatch at the dock and when the boat was left on the storage lot, but it would make sense to use it in rough weather. From now on, I will. One would also want to have the forward hatch closed and locked too.

In Murray’s situation, I can only imagine how exciting it would have been had the boat gone over far enough to toss them both out, but not far enough so that she couldn’t right herself and she sailed on without them.

One can almost see the need for a harness and a sturdy clip point if you were going to venture out far enough you couldn’t swim to shore if rough weather caught you.

Funny how we fret about this stuff now, when over the last two years, I’ve spent much more time sitting or motoring on glass calm water than fighting too much wind. But the motto of the Boy Scout is “be prepared”.

Howard
M17, #278
Audasea

On 1/17/03 11:37 AM, "Thomas Howe" <thomashowe@earthlink.net> wrote:

> I have set up an arrangement with Osprey that holds the locker closed, with
> nothing showing from the outside. I have a padeye riveted to the inside of
> the locker hatch, and one set at a diagonal directly below it on the inner
> wall of the locker. There is also a clam cleat just opposite the aft end of
> the sink, on the inside of the cockkpit's side. I run a 1/4 inch line from
> the locker top through the padeye in the locker, then to the clam cleat. I
> merely tug the line tight, and put it into the clam and it's secure. Howard
> can perhaps describe this system, but it's easy, unobtrusive and
> inexpensive. TH
>
>