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A crusty old tender in Seattle told me my umbilical handling was a joke
He said I was letting the hose and comms cable twist like a phone cord, and that one bad kink could cost me air or comms at 150 feet. I used to just coil it fast and toss it in the bin. Now I do a proper figure-eight lay on deck, checking for twists every single time before I go in. It adds maybe two minutes to my prep, but I haven't had a single comms cutout since I started. How do you guys manage your umbilicals on a cramped barge deck?
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aaronsullivan12d ago
That figure-eight thing sounds solid. What do you do when the deck is super slick or there's gear everywhere, like is there a backup method you fall back on?
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susan_adams12d ago
My buddy just used a simple half hitch when his deck was a total skating rink last week.
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price.ben12d ago
Ever see someone try a half hitch on a really thick rope? It can get sloppy fast. For a slick deck, I'd double up the half hitches or add a second one as a backup. That extra bite keeps it from sliding when things are wet or icy.
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