CHAPTER 11


Horizontal lifting arrangements Unless you have a tiny sail handy and have practised rigging it as a parbuckle support, a horizontal lift can usually only be arranged using a patent device dedicated to this purpose. A number are available, a good example being the ‘Tribuckle’.


The traditional parbuckle The tribuckle


Power for the lift This can be achieved in numerous ways depending on the available gear. Typically, a power boat will use a davit of some description. A sailing yacht of sufficient size to have powerful halyard winches may manage the lift using one of these, but smaller boats’ winches will not be adequate on their own. A dedicated tackle hoisted aloft on a spare halyard with its fall led to a primary sheet winch may do the trick. If no tackle is carried, it may be necessary to contrive one from a reversed mainsheet or kicking strap, but to organise this at sea on a rough, dark night is no joke at all, especially if it has not been practised. Such ideas are by no means guaranteed to succeed in the stress of real life. The best way of all is to use the anchor windlass, if one is fitted. Lead the halyard to the warping drum via a snatch block and heave away. An electric windlass of any substance will lift a surprisingly heavy individual. Whatever method is chosen, it cannot be overstressed that it must be tried first in easy weather. Find a volunteer one summer day and, when you’re securely anchored, shove him over the side in his life jacket. Make sure it’s slack water, or that may be the last you see of him! See how your plans work out, then imagine the same job with the boat standing on her ends and everyone thoroughly alarmed. It’s the only way to face the most awful of realities with any degree of confidence.


A helicopter-style lifting sling


The Tribuckle uses the ancient technique of ‘parbuckling’ to raise the casualty. Originally used for lifting barrels up ships’ sides, the parbuckle works by attaching two ropes to the ship’s rail, passing their bights under the barrel from inboard outwards and thence back aboard from outside the barrel. By heaving on both ropes at once, the barrel can be rolled up the side with surprising ease. As used in the Tribuckle, the lines are substituted by a triangle of sailcloth. This is secured to the toerail and passed beneath the casualty so that its pointed end can be bent onto a spare halyard. As this is hauled, the casualty is rolled upwards securely in the bag formed by the cloth with remarkable efficiency. Failing a dedicated piece of gear, you might be able to use a small jib with its luff secured along the rail, the clew attached to a halyard and the casualty in the bight of the sail. Few boats carry such a sail nowadays and even those that do may find theirs to be the wrong size. Only by trying it on a calm day will you ever know for sure, so if you imagine this to be your safety net, make sure it functions before you need it.


Lifting a casualty with a windlass Spare halyard


Power windlass


Turning block


MANUAL OF SEAMANSHIP | 121


Emergencies


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164  |  Page 165  |  Page 166  |  Page 167  |  Page 168  |  Page 169  |  Page 170  |  Page 171  |  Page 172