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July 2020 July 2020

responsible for the ‘below decks’ stuff. An understandably comfortable extension
of their 30 years of shore-based life together perhaps, but a very dangerous
relationship to have on a boat.
It is often the case too that, as in many a male and female relationship, that the
man is probably somewhat overweight and unfit and the female is slim and
petite.
I once posed this question to the wife of a delightful Canadian couple (of the
physique aforementioned) that lived and cruised on a 55 ft ketch in the sheltered
fiords of British Columbia; “What will you do if your man falls off the boat at sea?”
The wife’s reply was: “Gee, look at the size of him, that’ll be it I guess!”

Fact. Couples do not practise how to get their partner back on board (single-
handed by definition). They just hope it won’t happen to them.
It really is easy to rescue someone on your own if you have the right piece of
equipment and the ability to stop the vessel as described above.
The reality is that people spend quite a bit of money on expensive recovery
equipment but never practise using it, as “it would have to go back to the
manufacturers for repacking.”
The answer is simple, (now having the ability to
‘heave to’ as described above).

Everybody knows how to use a pulley. It is a
ubiquitous item that we have all used in one form
or another. Armed with this mobile, ‘carry around’
pulley, (known in nautical circles as a “handy billy’),
we have a portable and powerful winch.
It is easy to make a ‘handy billy’ but it must have a
6:1 ratio (nothing less will suffice), as you will see
from the diagrams and
photographs.
When fully extended (“overhauled”) it needs to be
about 8ft (1.5metres) in length between two ‘triple’
blocks. The upper block will incorporate a
‘jammer’ (which allows one to let go of the rope
without it paying out) and the lower block will have two
‘helicopter strops’ attached to it (see note)
After ‘heaving to’ as described above, the vessel is
now used as a motorboat to get back to the casualty,
finishing up head to wind (as the vessel will dictate).
The ‘handy billy’ is attached to a spare halyard at the
mast and the top block is raised to about 8 feet above

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