I can understand the effort involved in trying to pull yourself through the water to a large boat running at 7 kts. But I'll bet an M15 towing a 150# person would be lucky to make 3 kts. And I'll bet that kind of drag from one stern cleat would cause the boat to round up and stop.
I have another safety system. I seldom lock down the helm, and even when locked, the M15 is very sensitive to conditions and it wouldn't wander too far without rounding up. IMHO, a wind vane would be required to keep an M15 running straight until it reached shore. Being a good swimmer, I don't really worry about going in the drink, except in cold water. That said, I do have an SOS inflatable vest, harness and pad eye bolted through the vertical bridge deck structure, next to the c-board pennant The 6 ft tether will let me reach anything behind the mast. If I need to go forward, I can reattach it to a line around the base of the mast. Remember that the clip attaching vest to tether should be selected to prevent accidental release, but allow manual release when necessary; such as when being dragged underwater or alongside the hull. Bill Riker M15 #184 Storm Petrel _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
