Genesis of a MOB?

[Kings Gambit]

Hi. This thread is a take-off on Don Guillette's "Man Overboard" thread started a few days ago. He was concerned about how to get MOB's back on the boat. I'm actually curious now as to how people get into the water to begin with!! Beyond what we've heard about passengers jumping in to rescue a dog, what are the circumstances that put people into the water? In 24 yr of coastal sailing and racing, I've never had anyone go in, nor I have been on a boat that launched a MOB. How common is this, and how does it mostly happen? As skippers, what do we need to watch out for?

 

[Richard19068]

I've seen it with a foredeck crew on the wrong side of a sail or sheet while tacking.

 

[tommays]

It happens and we do real practice for it

I have to assume it happens a good bit because were going to take safety at sea in April and getting wet is part of the program as well as put out some fires in the fire fighting section

 

[Jackdaw]

2:44

http://youtu.be/whSHw4k2yLo

 

[Kings Gambit]

The most dramatic two cases I've heard about was when racing in a SC 50 around San Nicolas Island the boat evidently took green water into the cockpit and washed an untethered crew out of the cockpit (was actually floating), but then somehow was pitched back in a couple of seconds later. The other was when a sport boat racing under spinnaker in the cut between Anacapa and Santa Cruz islands rounded up hard (> 25 kt wind gusts) and pitched TWO crew (both women--all woman crew) into the water right at dusk while the out-of-control boat blew away from them very quickly. Thankfully, both were found and rescued.

 

[LuzSD]

I have not personally seen anyone go in while racing or cruising out in deeper water, although a couple of near misses when foredeck people get their feet looped inside a jib sheet........but 3 of our crew have gone in at the slip in the past couple years while either returning or leaving the slip. The skipper went in on a rainy return, slipped on the toe rail. His biggest concern was not hitting his head on the way in. Another went in while trying to jump off....... and my husband almost went in as he was doing a final push off and lost his footing.

We've had discussions here before about the importance of ladder access on the docks and the best take away all of us have had was in evaluating the way our ladders are lashed to the stern (we changed ours so it can be released from the water now) and also just taking a look around at what is available on other boats around us............ in most cases there are boats within a couple yards that could be boarded. I recall many of us have begun talking to our marinas about installing ladders at the ends of some of the docks and that is ideal, but how many marinas are actually doing that...

 

[Rick D]

Three

One on a power boat who slipped on a wet deck and went in. Another on a Hobie 33 with a man-wife crew transiting back from a race. He was leaning over and fell under the life lines when a large swell hit. His wife had a difficult time helping him get back aboard despite both being fit and the Hobie having a very low freeboard. Finally, a crew on a 24' sport boat went over and died before being recovered by the skipper and crew. I don't recall the final determination, maybe a heart attack.

However, I can think of a number of fatalities from falling off the boat or dock in marinas. Probably most were impaired, but I fell in once having missed a handhold. Luckily, I had not tied off the stern ladder, so I was able to step back aboard.

 

[Kings Gambit]

I went into the water off our marina dock a few months ago for the 1st time. I was backing up, stretching out a sail to be folded when my foot stepped off the dock. I dropped vertically onto my tail bone, and then over into the water fully clad. The only way out after I surfaced was to swim over to a nearby powerboat with a low outboard well and climb up, grabbing on to the engine (I was not near the Bavaria at the time.). If the marina put in ladders, where will they be? At the end of every other finger? I hate it when crew jump off the boat unexpectedly on to the dock. I now expressly forbid the crew to do so; they must wait until I ask them to step off the boat and onto the dock.

 

[kenomac]

Watch this important lifesling video which will answer all your questions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsK-8...e_gdata_player

How does a MOB happen? Well, it doesn't matter how it happens... Poop happens!!! The last thing on my mind on that sunny, windy day off Long Beach, CA was a MOB event taking place on my boat.

Watch the video, then get out and practice a MOB rescue with your first mate or spouse. My wife was reluctant to take command until I told her I wouldn't go sailing with her again until she learned how to execute a proper rescue. Now after practicing the technique, she has new confidence and takes control of the helm 50 percent of the time... even while docking.

The man and dog overboard event that I experienced, changed my boating life forever. The dog was over in a spit second, the knucklehead who jumped in without a lifevest and fully clothed was over the side after him within 2 seconds... 18 knot winds, full sails, 58 degree water, two miles off shore, beautiful day, 45 ft boat doing 8 knots, and now I'm on board alone.. There's no time to theorize or come up with a plan after the fact. The rescue needs to be well rehearsed, lives or possibly your own life will depend on the crew's ability to carry out the plan.

I really hate to sound like I'm preaching, but always insist that everyone on board wear a lifevest, and set the example by wearing one yourself. The elderly and feeble will sink like a stone without one.

Be safe and practice.


ShareThis

 

[caguy]

You're right poop happens, Video broken.

The URL contained a malformed video ID.
Sorry about that.

 

[Sailm8]

During a race a woman in our club was sitting near the mast during a tack. She slid off the cabin top under the lifeline into the drink. Was wearing her inflatable vest and was in no trouble but switched to an automatic inflater. She felt like if she had hit her head on the way overboard she might not be able to self inflate. Very badly bruised ass. I have since bought a pair myself since she is a very experienced sailor with years of experience.

Second time was no my boat. It was a rough day pounding to weather. The anchor was secured but chaffed through and deployed. My friend who was not a sailor jumped up and went forward to secure it. We came into the wind, my wife started the motor and I went forward to see what happened. My friend had retrieved most of the anchor rode but didn't realize you needed to open the anchor well first. He redeployed the anchor and I opened the locker. As we changed hands on the rode for me to take over a wave bounced the boat and my friend did a perfect backflip over the lifelines. The boat sort of dipped and threw him up in the air and then moved over out of the way so he came down in the water. No problem with retrieval and no injuries

 

[Jackdaw]

You're right poop happens, Video broken.

The URL contained a malformed video ID.
Sorry about that.

Pretty sure he meant this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsK-8us_o8s

 

[Tom J]

Hi. This thread is a take-off on Don Guillette's "Man Overboard" thread started a few days ago. He was concerned about how to get MOB's back on the boat. I'm actually curious now as to how people get into the water to begin with!! Beyond what we've heard about passengers jumping in to rescue a dog, what are the circumstances that put people into the water? In 24 yr of coastal sailing and racing, I've never had anyone go in, nor I have been on a boat that launched a MOB. How common is this, and how does it mostly happen? As skippers, what do we need to watch out for?

It happens in a heartbeat! One minute we were planing along in our friend's 34' motor cruiser while he worked his way back along the side deck after retreiving an owl decoy from the bow. The water was rough, and we had just dropped into a trough when my wife yelled "He's in the water!". Fortunately she had heard the skipper yell when he fell overboard. As to why it happened, the side decks on this boat were only 10" wide, and the skipper was attempting to duck into the full-cockpit enclosure. Hand holds were almost non-existent, and as he went to duck into the cockpit, the boat dropped, and over he went. In retrospect, he should have climbed onto the foredeck from the v-berth through the forward hatch. I had also offered to stop the boat while he went forward, but he ordered me to maintain course and speed, and he was the skipper.Fortunately, we were able to haul him aboard using the swim platform.
As a skipper myself, I have added a Lifesling, permanently attached to a stern cleat, to my cockpit inventory on my Catalina 310. I have a greater awareness of the possibility of a MOB situation occurring, as does my wife. She makes double-damn sure that I wear my inflatable vest/harness when I go forward on our boat. We know what can happen, so we don't take chances.