unless conditions are flat calm, a rope tossed over and retrieved by gaf is a lot more dangerous then using a rig hook and will lead to the inevitable bow contact with the rig. maybe if you have a 10 ft long gaf pole it might work better but even then you are still just as close as if you used a rig hook and the rig hook is done in seconds where the rope makes you spend a lot more time in dangerous proximity to the rig structure.
I have seen people trying to use this rope over the pipe method and every time even in gentle swells they hit the rig in some form or manor trying to get the rope over and retrieve it with a gaf. I even towed one guy in who lost the front 8" of the bow point and cracked his bow keel almost down to the waterline from getting under the pipe when the boat got too close and the wave lifted the boat up and "crunch" no more bow point.
a rig hook allows you to keep the boat at a safe distance several feet AWAY from the rig and is IMHO the safest way to connect to rigs.
I do agree you shouldn't be using rig hooks in rough seas but if its rough enough to jerk the rig hook off of the rig then you shouldn't be tied up to the rig anyway because whatever you tie the rope off to will just as easily be torn off your boat and hit you as it flies off
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