Will your lifelines pass this sailing test?

by Captain John Jamieson on 9 Oct 2014 Most production sailboats have lifelines these days, but just how safe are they. Would they keep your sailing crew or partner, spouse or family members safe in all sailing weather-fair or foul? Put your lifelines to the test today with these five easy sailing tips.

1. Check for hooks that can injure your crew:

Sail offshore and you need bare lifelines for safety. Any veteran will tell you that lifeline covers do just that--cover up defects and hide possible damage. And they can help trap moisture too. Bare lifelines are seamanlike and easy to inspect.

Check from bow to stern on both sides and look for broken wire strands--also called 'meat-hooks'. These can snag a finger or hand and lead to scrapes, scratches or puncture wounds. Cut the hooks off next to the lifeline body and cover them with tape or a seizing until more permanent repairs can be made.

2. Inspect stanchions and bases:

Look for bent or warped stanchions. This puts an extra load on lifelines. Check stanchions at the base for tightness and integrity. Push on the stanchions from side to side with moderate pressure; look at the bases as you do. Stanchion bases should remain flush to the deck. Repair loose stanchion bases for sailing safety.

3. Look for loose lock-nuts and missing cotter pins

Check this photo that shows a locknut that has backed away from the lifeline swage fitting. Tighten lock nuts to maintain lifeline integrity.

Inspect the ends of lifelines for cotter pins. Replace missing or damaged cotters right away. Avoid cotter rings (also called 'ring-dings'). These can distort over time, back out of the fitting, and cause catastrophic failure. Stick with 'bobby-pin' shaped cotter pins for reliability.

To replace broken cotter pins, shorten the legs and spread the cotter into a 'V' shape. Some sailors like to bend the legs into a 'U' shape, but this will make removal difficult or impossible in an emergency (i.e. dismasting). Stick with the 'V' for sailing safety and integrity.

4. Tape pelican hooks in place

Prevent unexpected failure of a bale on your lifelines. Pelican hooks in particular are notorious for popping open when you least expect them to. Tape the bales shut with generous amounts of rigging tape or similar waterproof tape. Inspect them daily. Adhesive loses stickiness after constant exposure to spray, so replace the tape as needed.

5. Brief your crew for safety's sake

Caution your crew to crouch down a bit to keep knees below the level of the top lifelines. Not a guarantee of safety, but better than a straight walk fore and aft. If sailing outside of sheltered waters, make sure your sailing crew or partner understands not to attach sailing harness tethers to lifelines or lifeline bases.

Use jacklines or strong deck attachment points (i.e. deck pad-eyes with proper backing plates) that are made to handle the shock load of 150+ pounds of weight thrown against them. Most lifeline bases are much too weak to handle this kind of shock load. Pass along this knowledge to help keep your sailing crew aboard safe and sound when coastal or offshore sailing.

Now you know the first step to inspect your standing rigging for integrity and worry-free sailing. Pass along these simple sailing tips to your sailing crew or partner for sailing safety--wherever in the world you choose to sail or cruise!

John Jamieson (Captain John) with 25+ years of experience shows you the no-nonsense cruising skills you need for safer sailing worldwide. Visit his website at Skipper Tips. Sign up for the free, highly popular weekly 'Captain John's Sailing Tip-of-the-Week'. Discover how you can gain instant access to 1000+ sailing articles, sailing skills videos, sailing tips newsletters and free sailing topic e-Books!