Emergency Manual

[Foswick]

Like MFD said, too bad there isn't a good way to collaborate on something like this on SBO. Let's try it anyway, since there seems to be some interest and we have a lot of good perspectives here. I will start a thread specifically for that purpose and we'll see how it goes.

 

[MFD]

My US SAIL bareboat chartering certification course instruction for MOB is to use figure 8 maneuvering with sails up. That is to sail towards the victim.
Recently I was on a 43 foot cut-away full keel vessel their MOB maneuver was to start the engine and drop the sails. Why not use figure 8? Is it no as easily manuverable?

The figure 8 maneuver under sail requires that the crew guests have a reasonable level of sailing experience which may not always be the case. If executed well, it is probably superior to dropping the sails immediately and getting the engine going. Plus no propeller to worry about regarding either peoples feet or ropes in the water.

I have a few friends that do six-pack (uninspected vessel) afternoon sailing charters. Often just the one captain and a bunch out of town landlubbers. If I remember, I am going to ask them what their standard procedure is if either they or a guest falls overboard and what they include in the standard safety talk. I am curious now.

EDIT: Interesting and not too long discussion over on reddit.

 

[Foswick]

I used to be a die-hard proponent of the figure-8. We practiced it all the time and were quite good at it. Of course, the problem is that you don't get to choose who goes overboard (unless you throw them overboard, which is a different scenario). And, you don't get to choose your conditions.

What made me relegate the figure-8 down from Plan A to maybe Plan C is the day it really sunk in to me how easy it is to lose sight of someone in the water in even just relatively modest waves (like even just 2-3 feet). And, since big waves are a pretty likely culprit in a MOB situation, that risk is very real and, to me, the most terrifying of all scenarios.

The figure-8 pretty much requires having a very specific idea of where the person is, throughout most of the maneuver. Also, our boat is heavy and requires some planning and distance to make it work. And, the poor windward performance and lack of tiller make it that much trickier. I am pretty handy with a boat, and I can only do the maneuver well, on this boat, about 1 in 3 attempts, except in truly ideal conditions.

On our previous boat, I used to like the instant heave-to. On pretty much any point of sail, I could simply tack and leave the jib sheeted, and we could pretty safely come to a near stop. It was a good first reaction to a MOB - don't think, just crank the rudder hard over, then think and adjust.

On our ketch, this isn't such a simple idea - depends on what canvas we have out.

That said, heaving to is still an often-overlooked MOB maneuver. If the person is conscious, heaving to near them might be an adequate response. This requires knowing how your boat will make leeway and how much wind is too much wind. That is, at some point, the boat will still be moving too fast, even once you've burned off all momentum, if the winds are too high. Still - a good tool for the toolbox.

 

[Stu Jackson]

So, why does this suggest that this would be unnecessary and useless? It seems you are making the argument for its usefulness.

In any case, the more important item here is what I am calling the "Red" book - the premise being they cannot ask for a refresher because there is no one to ask. You highlight the exact reason that such a guide would be useful - because even if you brief people, they likely won't remember in an emergency.

I took some time thinking about your very reasonable response, thank you for it.

I believe you missed my point. Perhaps I can expand: I have posted the instructions for how to use the head in the head compartment on the wall.
They still ask!

Point being that IN AN EMERGENCY few people are prepared to stop and read ANYTHING.

The PURPOSE of the ALL of the recommendations I have read in this thread have been "How to write short instruction manual FOR A COMPLEX machine - your boat."

I'm simply suggesting it CANNOT BE DONE. All of you have ably described just why.

Here is my suggestion to keep it simple.

THROW CUSHIONS. TURN OFF THE AUTOPILOT and SIT DOWN.
The boat will stop. ​

Then include how to turn it off and disengage the wheel or tiller.

 

[Stu Jackson]

That said, heaving to is still an often-overlooked MOB maneuver.

Actually it is the best one, other than my suggestion in my reply #24.

 

[Foswick]

Point being that IN AN EMERGENCY few people are prepared to stop and read ANYTHING.

Well, that is kind of true, but there is a disconnect between how most people think of an emergency and how most emergencies actually play out. You are talking about a "the boat is on fire and you have seconds to respond" emergency. That isn't how most actual emergencies happen.

This kind of reminds me of a discussion I was having, yesterday about a somewhat related topic. We were discussing filing an FAA flight plan so that, if you fail to arrive on time, S&R is initiated (starting with trying to reach you on the radio, and escalating from there, as appropriate). The person I was talking to took the position, "That is pointless because if your plan crashes you are either dead or you don't have time to wait for rescue."

That is true when you narrow what possibly could have happened. Maybe they set down in a clearing somewhere. Maybe a lot of things. For sure, there are situations where it doesn't change the outcome, but that doesn't mean that you don't do it to improve the outcomes of some situations.

Same with this guide concept. Sure, you can't possibly deal with all contingencies in a meaningful way. And, people will not necessarily have the time to use the information anyway. But, the point is that, if they had to, they could get information that could improve the outcome and that is MUCH better than having no chance of getting the information.

I disagree with the idea that, since some people won't use it and it might not be useful even if they do, then it is pointless to give them anything. I can't wrap my head around that, at all. I hope I am misunderstanding you.

 

[Stu Jackson]

I disagree with the idea that, since some people won't use it and it might not be useful even if they do, then it is pointless to give them anything. I can't wrap my head around that, at all.

I hope I am misunderstanding you.

That's not what I said or implied. Please re-read #24 and its recommendation, the short & sweet one.

And, unfortunately, you are.

 

[Foswick]

Please re-read #24 and its recommendation, the short & sweet one.

So, your objection is not to providing some instructions. You are objecting to a certain "scope" of instructions? That is, a little bit is OK, but a little bit more is not? What exactly is the cutoff between useful and "a waste of time"?

I think it is constructive to have discussions about how much is enough and how much is too much. And, it is constructive to talk about what kinds of information and how it as accessed. But, that is very different from, "Absolutely unnecessary and useless."

 

[Stu Jackson]

But, that is very different from, "Absolutely unnecessary and useless."

No, it's not because that quote was based on your original question, which was the necessity and usefulness of the material. My replies have all been responsive to that question. I explained why I thought written anything more than a simple few words would be useless in an emergency, for both the man overboard and the remaining guests. Sorry if you still can't understand. Happy writing.

 

[Johnb]

Perhaps those who wish to participate should and those who don't shouldn't.

 

[MFD]

In the interests of ensuring and maintaining thread drift...

For me, the big value on having the written material was to be sure I myself covered all the bases during my boat orientation and safety talk with new guests. I could see on longer trips and overnights, that some people may just randomly peruse through the docs as well when they are bored. Having them in a tidy succinct instruction format rather than just bullet points like I had would allow that.

Separately, the general pre-departure checklist also had the same value. I even had dumb stuff on there like ensuring the power cord was disconnected and stowed away. I have yet to leave the dock on my boat with the cord still attached, but do recall being on another boat and that happening once! That was with a pretty experienced skipper too. There is a reason they have checklists like that on airplanes where the outcome of making a small/stupid mistake is often much worse than on a boat.

 

[Will Gilmore]

I also have labels around on things, and probably could use a few more.
Things like "Do not use key to shutoff engine, push and hold the black rubber button. AFTER engine is off, turn off key."
I have one of those cheap office labeling printers (p-touch?). Works okay for this kind of thing and you can buy UV resistant label tape. I use that for clutch labels and stuff too.

Great idea. If the manual could be made redundant by the labeling, then the manual becomes a checklist for the orienting captain.

Imagine an emergency, say the captain is the MOB, struck by the boom. Maybe conscious, maybe not. The Jibe was obviously sudden and unexpected to catch the captain off-guard. Winds are squirrelly with a following sea. If the passenger who witnessed the event remembers the basics of the captain's instructions, the passenger yells at the top of their voice, "MAN OVERBOARD!!!", and they work to keep a steady eye on the captain's position. They reach for a floatation device, preferably the life ring or horseshoe float.

If that's all they remember of the MOB briefing, or have the where-withall to figure that part out themselves, they are doing incredibly well for an uninitiated sailor. Still, no rescue is forthcoming, as of yet.

Now, if they are not alone onboard, our captain has a chance. The other passenger(s) have to figure out how to stop and/or turn the boat around, or activate the Digital Selective Calling (DSC), or throw the Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) overboard with the life ring, if the first passenger didn't have the presence of mind to throw the floatation device right away.

There may be one or so passengers thinking, "What does the manual say to do, but probably doing, even ineffective doing is more likely to happen.

Do they know how to heave-to? They can at least figure out how to release the sheets (not overly effective when running down wind, but still...). Maybe even bring the boat around into the wind. It is a lucky break there isn't a spinnaker set for this downwind run.

Now, if there was a nice clear short label that pointed to the DSC button with and "IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY INVOLVING THE CAPTAIN, DEPRESS BUTTON FOR FIVE SECONDS." Looking quickly around, maybe they remember seeing the Life-Sling label on a cockpit locker, along with the flares, and one of them notices the small, but prominently displayed sign near the helm that instructs the helmsman to bring the boat into the wind to drop the sails, rolling the headsail in before the main to reduce the danger of injury or damage from clew flailing.

Labels on the engine controls would instruct the operators to turn the key into the on position before starting. The neutral, forward, and reverse positions of the throttle would be indicated. A label on the radio would point out that channel 16 is the Emergency channel and give the protocol for a mayday call, including a reminder of the vessel's name. A label might help to find the GPS lat. and long.

A laminated card that described the figure-eight maneuver, with or without sails up, could hang by a short lanyard from the binnacle. A reminder to approach from down wind, when possible would be a nice touch, and a label on the boarding ladder that told the rescuers how to deploy it would also be desirable.

I think the book is good. There will be those who are simply interested in reading some of it when they are sitting around, but I can't see it being useful during the emergency. Keep in mind, emergencies like an MOB tend to happen when the environment is turning against you. There's likely to be other issues to deal with at the same time.

If the one passenger who saw the captain go overboard was alone and had no one else to call for help, keeping an eye on the MOB would be near impossible anyhow. Having to turn the page on a manual just isn't going to happen.

-Chill Will

 

[DanInCali]

I have two laminated cards attached to the binnacle: MOB instructions and Abandon Ship plan. Both are pretty simple. Abandon Ship has tasks for 3 people, and if I'm on an extended trip I assign those tasks and make sure each person knows how to to their tasks (launch raft, get first aid kit, call mayday, etc). MOB is simpler but still has 3 tasks. ( Helmsman, victim watcher, lifen ring thrower). One advantage of having these laminated cards in such a visible place is that most guests read them out of curiosity long before I point them out.

 

[DanInCali]

Oh and based on some YouTubes I saw that reported the incredibly poor results in the real world of the figure 8 maneuver my instructions are luff sail and start motor. Also in practical terms the motor is running a good percent in the time anyway so if you want to do figure 8 when sailing you have to have 2 different sets of instructions.

 

[thinwater]

My takeaway from the thread is to do everything you can to make the chances negligible. If the crew is not competent, then sail as though you are singlehanding. In that way there will be no such contingency. You can play "what if" forever.

 

[dLj]

I've been watching this thread but as I am in the camp with @Stu Jackson - I haven't posted. However there are several observations reading through the various comments.

Comments on MOB have mentioned the person seeing the person fall over to "keep an eye" on that person. The current thinking is that person should point to the person in the water as they are watching their position. It is easier to find the MOB if their head bobs out of sight with you finger pointing to the last visible position when they do pop back into sight. It is something you should practice.

The red book talked about here is essentially my crew safety meeting before heading out. That is a written list so I don't forget things.

The amount and type of information given depends upon the experience level of the crew/guests and the nature of the trip. I'm having a hard time visualizing what I would put on flash cards that.would be worth the time, effort, and space required to create and deploy them. Would i make different cards for different trip/crew types?

While a group think as proposed here is a great idea, the actual execution and what would be contained on said flash cards would be boat specific. For example, I run all composting heads - not traditional marine heads.

On my boat, how to start and engage my engine is somewhat unique. I will typically make each individual crew member start, engage, disengage and stop my engine during my safety briefing.

I walk each person through my boat and show them the locations of all thru-hulls (if the trip length mandates this step). I point out the location of all safety equipment, propane system, fire extinguishers, etc.

I have a color coded map showing all critical component and safety equipment locations. It doesn't seem to get used beyond a one and done kind of use. As in, I can show it to them, they look at it, and they've never looked again. This fact makes me question the actual usefulness of this exercise.

dj

 

[Leeward Rail]

I'm only familiar with outboards. What is the reason for this?

That's specific to diesels.

If it's a gas engine then ignition switch shuts off spark.

Diesels detonate the fuel with compression. There are no spark plugs and if the engine has a mechanical pump, it doesn't actual need electricity to run.
So turning off the ignition switch, won't stop the engine. Pulling the kill knob prevents fuel flow which is what stops a diesel.

What damages alternators is disconnecting the alternator output from the battery without something to absorb the resulting spike.

On diesels wiring I have seen, simply turning off the key won't damage the alternator diodes, because the switch didn't effect the alternator output circuit. Not sure if there are wiring setups out there that will damage things. It might be a misunderstanding spread by word of mouth ?

 

[Leeward Rail]

Why not use figure 8? Is it no as easily manuverable?

Choice of maneuver is really dependant on the boat, size of crew, weather/water conditions etc.

Certification courses can't cover everything so I assume they choose the old figure 8 as default, and they all seem to assume you have more than one person left on the boat after someone falls in.

To be proficient at fast effective MOB recovery, you need to go out on the water in a specific boat and determine what works on that boat.

I have always felt that the default method should assume 1 person left aboard, with 1 unconscious fat person in the water. A sailing couple.
Additional passengers are often just that. They can't be counted on. They often won't absorb what you tell them. They may panic.

If the crew is not competent, then sail as though you are singlehanding.

100%

Unfortunately most couples I know, arent EQUALLY competent or physically equal. For that reason your advice also applies.

Best option for MOB specifically,as always, is don't go overboard. That should be the training focus with experienced crew and passengers alike.

 

[MFD]

Looks like US Sailing has this.
Not specific per-boat instructions, but the general topic/bullet-point list.

#2, Culture of Safety; if you see something (whether you are experienced or a novice) say something is also important. Things like that help build crew cohesion and also provide learning opportunities. Newbies can be intimidated and not speak up, others might have most of their experience on one of those boats where the skipper is like Captain Bligh or something and also be afraid to speak up. I would far rather have somebody ask a dumb question than say nothing if anything seems odd or unsafe to them.

And #4a, Show location of posted boat diagrams...; which implies those diagrams/labels/signage already exist.

A friend of mine is a retired fire fighter. He put a big 'fire exit' sign on the inside of the deck hatch in the v-berth. That might be a little too much. Meanwhile, I guess it would subconsciously confirm to somebody if there is a galley fire to go out that way?

 

[thinwater]

... A friend of mine is a retired fire fighter. He put a big 'fire exit' sign on the inside of the deck hatch in the v-berth. That might be a little too much. Meanwhile, I guess it would subconsciously confirm to somebody if there is a galley fire to go out that way?

If you are offshore and you have a galley fire, you do not "get out." You fight the fire, unless you really like swimming with sharks or in ice water. Fires are much easier to extinguish in the incipient phase. A galley grease fire is put out by the cook, period. If the cook can't fight a grease fire, he's not a cook and should not cook on a boat.

The emphasis on egress for everyone is really based on land and very inshore sailing, where help might come soon.

Just sayin'. (I've had smoke and incipient fires off shore--you put them out).