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Whether you're a serious competitor or just
messing around on the water, certain safety rules make total sense. If you get
in to the habit of applying them they'll become second nature, as they should be.
What does it take to be a safe Opti sailor? If
you follow these simple guidelines you won't go far wrong:
Lifejacket/Personal Flotation Device:
The less straps the less likelihood of snagging on things around the boat.
The brighter the better and make it yellow, red or orange for visibility.
Wear the size that fits you. A lifejacket that doesn't fit can do more harm than good.
Get a PFD with positive bouyancy - don't depend on one that has to inflate to float.
Get the loudest whistle you can and attach it with a short lanyard. Only ever use the whistle when you mean it. Don't teach people to ignore you by blowing it for no reason...
Make sure that your boat has three well secured, inflated, and leak-free airbags. Use three straps to secure each bag, regardless of the age of your boat. The third strap will help keep the bag in your boat if you're swamped and allow you to rescue yourself.
Bags should be made of strong fibre reinforced material and have a non-return valve, not just because the rules say so but because that's the sort you can rely on.
The towline/bowline/painter should be one, continuous piece of line and extend 8 metres (26') from the outer edge of the gunwhale and be 5 mm thick floating line and be attached to the mast thwart, or mast step, (not just passed through the gunwhale at the bow, with a stopper knot behind it...) A loop whould be tied at the end of the line to facilitate towing.
The gap between the boom and the boom bridle should be no more than 10 cm (slightly less than 4") to prevent a limb, or even a head, from becoming wedged in the bridle.
Attach the sheet to the boom bridle with a carabiner ring or a positive detent shackle, in other words, one that cannot open by accident when under pressure. Alternatively, slide a short piece (about 2.5cm) of plastic tubing over the part of the clip that hinges to open. The tube will slide down and prevent the clip or shackle from opening accidentally. To open the clip, slide the tupe up and out of the way.
If one bailer is good, two are better! Plastic jugs are cheap at any supermarket and the handles give you something to attach the lanyards to... keep them short enough to stay out of the way and long enough to be useful. You could use thin bungee cord but be careful to tie good knots, bungee is notorious for failing to stay knotted.
Tie your daggerboard to your boat with a lanyard to prevent it sinking or floating beyond your reach in the event of it becoming detached - you need the daggerboard to get the boat upright and to get back to the shore.
Make sure the mast can't come out of its step when the boat is capsized. A small, strong piece of line, attached to the mast thwart and wrapped snugly over the top of the vang cleat with a good knot will do the trick.Apart from allowing speedy return to sailing from a capsize, this will also prevent the loose mast from wrecking the thwart as the boat comes back up. You should be able to lift the boat by the mast without it disengaging from the step
Well, if you have attended to all of the above, you have not only complied with the US Class rules but you've demonstrated common sense too! Optimum!
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