This subject came up on the Catalina list and I feel it is such an important topic that I decided to add it to the forum. There are a whole bunch of methods for getting back to the victim and I've tried them all to find the one that works best for me. Generally, it is just my wife and myself and if I go over I'm going to be in a world of hurt because all my wife can do is punch in MOB on the GPS and get on the radio. In the meantime, I'll be watching the name on the back of my boat get smaller and smaller as she pulls away from me. That is why I always wear a self inflating life jacket. The most important thing is to get back to the victim as soon as possible and the method I use is called THE FAST RETURN. Your wasting valuable time dropping sail and starting the engine. Take advantage of the boat speed under sail. The MOB situation is another reason why a skipper should know how to handle his sails under any conditions because this emergency, or any emergancy is not the time to learn. Here's how the drill goes: (assume your sailing close hauled and on a port tack. You don't have to perform this maneuver in a mad panic, which can lead to more problems - take your time ) 1) As soon as the person goes over, throw out a cushion or better yet throw over the MOB pole flag. 2) Turn onto a broad reach and let the boat settle down - should take about 5 to 8 seconds. 3) Tack the boat with the JIB CLEATED. The jib is going to back wind and will slow your speed plus it will help the boat turn quicker. 4) When you complete the tack you come to downwind and then to a broad reach. At this point your above the victim. You want to be sailing somewhat parallel to him. In other words, you'd be looking at him over your port side and he'd be about 25 yards away. 5) Sail about 5 boat lengths past the victim. Now blow the jib by cutting the sheet and turn upwind. Feather the main as you pull alongside the victim and the boat will stop since your head to wind. If you have to move forward a bit, then gently adjust the main to maintain position. The thing I like about this method is that it was easy for me to learn, has few steps to perform, has no jibes or difficult maneuvers, allows you to stay close to the victim and you don't have to use your engine as the spinning prop is another problem . The more crew you have the easier it is but as you can see a single hander can perform this manoever very easily. Your reaction has to automatic, so you have to practice, and it has to be quick or you'll be too far away from the victim. So as soon as the person goes over, your into the maneuver. Practice it a few times and see if it works for you. If not, try another method but which ever one you settle on make it automatic so you can apply it as soon as the person goes over. In this situation you don't have time to ponder your first step. How you get the person on board is another problem. If he conscious there is the ladder or you could just drop a sheet over with a loop for his foot and crank him up using the winch. If he is unconscious, that's a whole other ball game.
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Don, as I read your explanation of your OB procedure, I can understand and agree with the hove-to. Why can't the boat simply lay hove-to and allow the OB victim to swim to the boat. As you say,"..if he is unconscious, thats a whole other ball game." It seems to me that any nonsailor can be shown how to heave-to and simply wait for the swimmer to catch the boat assuming that big seas and wind aren't pounding the boat.
It's one way of doing it...
That is pretty much the modern way of picking up a MOB. And while your comments are correct, they may not be applicable with all boats, especially for full keel boats whose turning radius is much larger. It this case, I would recommend the figure eight system as instructed by the ASA. I've sailed a Fast Passage 39 and we would not be able to do the quick turn. One thing I could add to your comments is that if you have an engine hoist for your outboard, you can use it to haul the MOB on board. I do wish more skippers would allow their wives, no, make that, would have their wives practice steering, docking, sailing the boat even if she doesn't want to. Better yet, have your yacht club have a women''s day on the water--only for women, and have women instructors. There is much research that this is a positive way for women to learn boat handling.
That is pretty much the modern way of picking up a MOB. And while your comments are correct, they may not be applicable with all boats, especially for full keel boats whose turning radius is much larger. It this case, I would recommend the figure eight system as instructed by the ASA. I've sailed a Fast Passage 39 and we would not be able to do the quick turn. One thing I could add to your comments is that if you have an engine hoist for your outboard, you can use it to haul the MOB on board. I do wish more skippers would allow their wives, no, make that, would have their wives practice steering, docking, sailing the boat even if she doesn't want to. Better yet, have your yacht club have a women''s day on the water--only for women, and have women instructors. There is much research that this is a positive way for women to learn boat handling.
Alan: I guess you could hove to as an alternative but using my example, assume your sailing closehauled and making over 5 knots. By the time you react to the guy going over and get the boat stopped there is a bit of distance between you and the swimmer and how do you know if he is injured or not. Assume the guy is injured and you've stopped the boat. Now you have to get it started again and a lot of time is wasted. Using my method or any method that works for the sailor, I bet I can get back to the victim in under 5 minutes. This is just my opinion, but I prefer to use the boats speed and get back to the person. If he is OK, then he has a short swim. If he is injured, you can go from there. A couple of years ago, during a race in Long Beach, the bow man fell overboard. It happend so fast, I didn't see him go over but I saw him through the corner of my eye as we sailed by. It took a couple of seconds to register in my mind what was happening but I've rehersed it so many times in my mind that the reaction was automatic. I reached over and threw out the MOB flag and went right into the proceedure. A couple of the crew, who had not seen him go over, turned and asked me what I was doing. I pointed my finger back at the guy in the water!! About that time, and this is all happening in milli seconds, all hell breaks out from the guys who did see him going over and every body starts running around like a Chinese fire drill but it really didn't matter because I was into the proceedure and the only command I had to give was "cut the jib sheet when I tell you and make a loop in the end of the lazy sheet"!!! We scooped the guy up (he put one foot in the loop and it was a short winch to get him on board) plus the MOB flag and as I recall I only lost about 3 positions in that race.
Some additional thoughts
Don, Thank you for raising such an important topic. I agree with your procedure - it covers the sailing aspect. I would make a couple of additions though - 1. As soon as the person goes overboard the person who sees this should yell out 'Man Overboard' (or perhaps it should be 'Person Overboard'
). This should be done to alert anyone below or who hasn't seen the problem so they can start into the MOB routine. 2. One of the crew (if you are not alone) should be assigned to keep an eye on where the person overboard is - a head - particulary without a bright coloured life jacket is hard to see in the water.
Don, Thank you for raising such an important topic. I agree with your procedure - it covers the sailing aspect. I would make a couple of additions though - 1. As soon as the person goes overboard the person who sees this should yell out 'Man Overboard' (or perhaps it should be 'Person Overboard'
). This should be done to alert anyone below or who hasn't seen the problem so they can start into the MOB routine. 2. One of the crew (if you are not alone) should be assigned to keep an eye on where the person overboard is - a head - particulary without a bright coloured life jacket is hard to see in the water.Malcolm: Your absolutely right about keeping the person in sight becuase it is to easy to lose sight of them and that just make matters worse - like where am I supposed to steer the boat to if I have no idea where he is. For that reason, I like the MOB pole, which is a long pole weighted on the bottom with a flag on top. I have mine connected to a life ring so that in the event of an emergancy the whole thing goes over. It is easy to spot the flag, which is about 8' above the water. Here's another tip, which is step 2 and comes immediately after you throw out the MOB pole -PUNCH IN MOB ON YOUR GPS. If the situation goes from bad to worse as some situations do and your going to need help, its essential that you be able to tell the rescuers precisely where you are. That is just a common sense tip but I wonder how many sailors think about it.
MOB Pole may not be your best bet
A few years ago, a friend, also a college prof, and I went into business making MOB poles because we thought they were too expensive. We made about a dozen different types and then took them out for a test spin. We also took a competitors MOB pole as well. Out on the bay, our poles and theirs did fairly well in a light (under 5 knts) breeze. However in a later test in heavy winds (over 20 knts), ALL poles just laid down in the water. You couldn't see them from 4 boats lengths away very well (in broad daylight). At dusk, we actually lost two of our poles because we couldn't find them. We tried putting lights on the top but that made them worse. Too top heavy. We immediately went out of business. I think I still have a few fishing rod blanks in the basement. I haven't carried a MOB pole since. However, I do recommend that each life vest have a strobe light, a loud whistle and if possible a VHF radio. Other tests that we did showed us that the person in the water can see the boat better than the boat can see the person (we were practicing MOB pickups).
A few years ago, a friend, also a college prof, and I went into business making MOB poles because we thought they were too expensive. We made about a dozen different types and then took them out for a test spin. We also took a competitors MOB pole as well. Out on the bay, our poles and theirs did fairly well in a light (under 5 knts) breeze. However in a later test in heavy winds (over 20 knts), ALL poles just laid down in the water. You couldn't see them from 4 boats lengths away very well (in broad daylight). At dusk, we actually lost two of our poles because we couldn't find them. We tried putting lights on the top but that made them worse. Too top heavy. We immediately went out of business. I think I still have a few fishing rod blanks in the basement. I haven't carried a MOB pole since. However, I do recommend that each life vest have a strobe light, a loud whistle and if possible a VHF radio. Other tests that we did showed us that the person in the water can see the boat better than the boat can see the person (we were practicing MOB pickups).
A thought before you go out...
This is a good before you go out lecture. Give two people the responsibility of watching a man overboard should it happen. That way if one of them goes over someone else has it covered. This should not be left to the incompetent. just an opinion... r.w.landau
This is a good before you go out lecture. Give two people the responsibility of watching a man overboard should it happen. That way if one of them goes over someone else has it covered. This should not be left to the incompetent. just an opinion... r.w.landau
A number of good ideas on this one!
Thanks for the input, all. About 25 years ago my buddy Steve and I were sailing in the Chesapeake Bay and decided to do a man overboard drill with an old orange cushion. We were sailing downwind when he tossed it over, and it was my job to singlehand the boat (24') back to it. We had agreed that he would keep his eye on it, but wouldn't tell me where it was if I lost sight of it - it was up to me to find it by myself. There was quite a bit of wind that day, and I lost sight of the cushion within 20 seconds or so, though Steve continued to see it for about another 20 seconds - then he lost it too. I worked the boat back upwind, but we never saw the cushion again. We were a little more careful working the foredeck after that.
Thanks for the input, all. About 25 years ago my buddy Steve and I were sailing in the Chesapeake Bay and decided to do a man overboard drill with an old orange cushion. We were sailing downwind when he tossed it over, and it was my job to singlehand the boat (24') back to it. We had agreed that he would keep his eye on it, but wouldn't tell me where it was if I lost sight of it - it was up to me to find it by myself. There was quite a bit of wind that day, and I lost sight of the cushion within 20 seconds or so, though Steve continued to see it for about another 20 seconds - then he lost it too. I worked the boat back upwind, but we never saw the cushion again. We were a little more careful working the foredeck after that.
person overboard!
Les makes a good point! we tested a mob pole with the same results-useless! in addition, the newer Hunters without a backstay don't easily mount an 8ft pole. We carry a MOM8a, but-anyone who leaves the cockpit wears a belt style inflatable with whistle and strobe, and if it kicks up we go to harness/inflatable combos for everyone-with jacklines. I also add a couple of skyblazer flares, which are pocketable and can be seen from a long ways off
Les makes a good point! we tested a mob pole with the same results-useless! in addition, the newer Hunters without a backstay don't easily mount an 8ft pole. We carry a MOM8a, but-anyone who leaves the cockpit wears a belt style inflatable with whistle and strobe, and if it kicks up we go to harness/inflatable combos for everyone-with jacklines. I also add a couple of skyblazer flares, which are pocketable and can be seen from a long ways off
Don,
I think that you misunderstand what I was trying to say. I'm sure that YOU could get the boat turned around quickly and retreave the MOB, but I was thinking about your wife. How is she going to do this, a nonsailor and singlehanded. A tack and heaving to stops the boat very quickly. I realize that there are better ways of recovering a MOB but how are you going to teach your wife these methods?
I think that you misunderstand what I was trying to say. I'm sure that YOU could get the boat turned around quickly and retreave the MOB, but I was thinking about your wife. How is she going to do this, a nonsailor and singlehanded. A tack and heaving to stops the boat very quickly. I realize that there are better ways of recovering a MOB but how are you going to teach your wife these methods?
Alan: Now I understand what you were saying. Where I would be if I went over is in a world of hurt. I am very, VERY careful with what I do and where I am under sail because if I go over I have a big problem and I'm very aware of that fact. I always wear an automatic inflatable and if it the least bit rough I rig jack lines but that's no guarantee as I've seen guys fall over in calm seas. My problem is my wife has no interest in learning anything about sailing. In fact, on any trips to catalina she'd just as soon take the Catalina Express across and back and sometimes does!! If I push the situation too much I'll really be enjoying my boat ALONE just like a bunch of guys I know who's wives could care less about the boat. If I go over under power, she could probably get back to me. She does know how to punch in MOB on the GPSand use the VHF to call for help. One day, a while back, we were sailing on a beam reach and I asked her to take the wheel, which she did, but somehow she managed to turn to closehauled and the boat obviously took off and heeled over. That was the last of her taking the wheel. I started to explain that it happens when you do that but it wasn't the right time. I just have to make do with what I'm delt and be real careful and assume I'm sailing alone.
Cutting the Sheet?
Don, This is a good topic but I haven't heard this term before. Do you really mean getting a knife and cutting it or does this mean just uncleating and let it run loose? Kevin
Don, This is a good topic but I haven't heard this term before. Do you really mean getting a knife and cutting it or does this mean just uncleating and let it run loose? Kevin
Practise Practise Practise
Stumbled onto this thread and have read all the postings. Don has raised a very important topic and I wanted to share an experience I had last year - I was the man overboard - We were in Narangansett Bay getting ready for the start of a Tuesday night race - I was crew on a Pearson 26 - I have more than 15 years experience so I do not consider myself a novice - plus I own an O'Day 23 whcih I cruise out of Fairhaven. It was a beautiful evening - clear - 10 knot wind. The Class A boats had started and we were tacking back and forth waiting for our start some 10+ minutes later. We had the 150 genny flying and a full main - Lots of boats about and in the close quarters of the starting line/preparation area the constant concern of looking out to see where the other boats were. Doing one of my routine tasks I was asked to look under the genny to see if there was any traffic coming down on us or ahead of us on the same tack - Because of the heel and the big genny I have to lean out to get a clear view. As I have done a hundred times - I leant on the life line - as I leaned a little further the snap clasp which holds the life line to the stancion opened (It had not been closed properly) and ..... in the blink of an eye ...... I was in the water. I was suprised by two things - 1) How fast it all happened 2) That I was still holding onto one end of the lifeline and was being towed at about 4 1/2 knots through the water. The captain had seen me go over and turned into the wind and called to the other crew to let the sails fly. The boat came to a stop and I swam up to the side - even after a few minutes - tired and puffing - and feeling as if my arms had been pulled out of their sockets - A couple of the crew - very experienced sailors tried to haul me up. Next suprise - two relatively fit people leaning over the side of a boat cannot grab and physically haul a 190 lb guy who is soaking wet out of the water by trying to lift him by the armpits - and certainly not without ripping his arms off. After a few tries I realized this was something I had to do for myself (I think everyone on board was so suprised and confused about what had happened that they were just reacting - not really thinking about how to get me back on board - after all the countdown to our start was just beginning!) So I took charge of my own "rescue" swam to the stern of the boat and climbed up using the propeller and parts of the engine as stepping stones. Back on board - I dried off - looked at the lifeline to find out what had happened thinking something had broken. Aftedr re-attaching the lifeline I took my station on the jib sheet and we got back into the groove for the start and raced. Lessons learned - 1) Don has said it a couple of times - practise practise practise so that it is second nature and you know what to do without thinking - there is more confusion and angst than you can imagine and the adrenaline of everyone on board - even the person in the water - is sky high. We have a crew of 5 when we race - there were lots of bodies but we still made a mess of it 2) Before you ever need it - like now sitting at home - think about how you will recover someone. I was able to climb aboard - have some lines prepared with loops for steps and store them in a convenient locker so that you have them available - Know where your ladder is. If it is stowed have it handy, stored below decks because you never use it, is useless - Had I been injured? .... I dont want to think how my team mates would have got me back on board 3) Once you think you have a plan - do as Don suggests - try it out. Sometimes our ideas need a little practical experience to see if they will actually work. Finally - while we all joke about it now - it was pretty tense when it happened - Everyone on board was concerned because as thay looked down at me in the water they thought I had hit my head because there was blood "everywhere" on my head - it was actually from a gash on my hand which remained on my face/head when I wiped the salt water out of my eyes as I was "surfing" behind the boat. The water smeared it everywhere and apparently I was a sight to behold - scared the &^%$ out of them. I was lucky - the weather was perfect - and I stayed attached to the boat - so I am able to share this expereince with you. Have fun - enjoy this wonderful sport but as the sarge said on Hill Street Blues "Take care out there"
Stumbled onto this thread and have read all the postings. Don has raised a very important topic and I wanted to share an experience I had last year - I was the man overboard - We were in Narangansett Bay getting ready for the start of a Tuesday night race - I was crew on a Pearson 26 - I have more than 15 years experience so I do not consider myself a novice - plus I own an O'Day 23 whcih I cruise out of Fairhaven. It was a beautiful evening - clear - 10 knot wind. The Class A boats had started and we were tacking back and forth waiting for our start some 10+ minutes later. We had the 150 genny flying and a full main - Lots of boats about and in the close quarters of the starting line/preparation area the constant concern of looking out to see where the other boats were. Doing one of my routine tasks I was asked to look under the genny to see if there was any traffic coming down on us or ahead of us on the same tack - Because of the heel and the big genny I have to lean out to get a clear view. As I have done a hundred times - I leant on the life line - as I leaned a little further the snap clasp which holds the life line to the stancion opened (It had not been closed properly) and ..... in the blink of an eye ...... I was in the water. I was suprised by two things - 1) How fast it all happened 2) That I was still holding onto one end of the lifeline and was being towed at about 4 1/2 knots through the water. The captain had seen me go over and turned into the wind and called to the other crew to let the sails fly. The boat came to a stop and I swam up to the side - even after a few minutes - tired and puffing - and feeling as if my arms had been pulled out of their sockets - A couple of the crew - very experienced sailors tried to haul me up. Next suprise - two relatively fit people leaning over the side of a boat cannot grab and physically haul a 190 lb guy who is soaking wet out of the water by trying to lift him by the armpits - and certainly not without ripping his arms off. After a few tries I realized this was something I had to do for myself (I think everyone on board was so suprised and confused about what had happened that they were just reacting - not really thinking about how to get me back on board - after all the countdown to our start was just beginning!) So I took charge of my own "rescue" swam to the stern of the boat and climbed up using the propeller and parts of the engine as stepping stones. Back on board - I dried off - looked at the lifeline to find out what had happened thinking something had broken. Aftedr re-attaching the lifeline I took my station on the jib sheet and we got back into the groove for the start and raced. Lessons learned - 1) Don has said it a couple of times - practise practise practise so that it is second nature and you know what to do without thinking - there is more confusion and angst than you can imagine and the adrenaline of everyone on board - even the person in the water - is sky high. We have a crew of 5 when we race - there were lots of bodies but we still made a mess of it 2) Before you ever need it - like now sitting at home - think about how you will recover someone. I was able to climb aboard - have some lines prepared with loops for steps and store them in a convenient locker so that you have them available - Know where your ladder is. If it is stowed have it handy, stored below decks because you never use it, is useless - Had I been injured? .... I dont want to think how my team mates would have got me back on board 3) Once you think you have a plan - do as Don suggests - try it out. Sometimes our ideas need a little practical experience to see if they will actually work. Finally - while we all joke about it now - it was pretty tense when it happened - Everyone on board was concerned because as thay looked down at me in the water they thought I had hit my head because there was blood "everywhere" on my head - it was actually from a gash on my hand which remained on my face/head when I wiped the salt water out of my eyes as I was "surfing" behind the boat. The water smeared it everywhere and apparently I was a sight to behold - scared the &^%$ out of them. I was lucky - the weather was perfect - and I stayed attached to the boat - so I am able to share this expereince with you. Have fun - enjoy this wonderful sport but as the sarge said on Hill Street Blues "Take care out there"
Kevin: By "cutting the sheet" I mean spin the line off the winch and let it run free. Here's another trick - this is probably going to be hard to explain (it is easier to demonstrate) but I see a lot of sailors unwrapping a sheet or spinning the line backwards to get it off the winch. There is an easier way - just lift straight up on it. It works easiest with winches that don't have self tailors but, with practice, you can cut it by going straight up even with a self tailor.
James of Fairhaven: Speaking of being exhausted and having difficulty getting on board after falling in. My slip is 65 spaces out so I'm out in the middle of nowhere. It was a beautiful week day with not a soul around. Just me and my cocker spaniel. I was washing the deck and the hull and the next thing I know I'm in the drink. At first, I tried to climb up on the finger pier but it was too high. Next I tried getting out using a dock line but when I pulled on the line the boat squeezed me against the dock. All this time my dog is looking over the side at me wondering what I'm doing down there. The problem was I wasn't thinking straight and getting a little panicy about how I was going to get out of the water. Then I remembered that I had rigged a trip line for my boarding ladder. My boarding ladder is secured with a simple half knot (like half a shoe lace) and the remainder of the line hangs down the stern of the boat. It is loosely tied to the bottom of the boarding ladder so all I had to do was yank on it and the slip knot comes loose and I pull the ladder down. A guy that single hands all the time taught me that trick.
Mates: Here's another "man over board" story. It was during a race from Redondo Beach to Long Beach, which is pretty much all down wind. Gentle winds were blowing and we are having a nice sail. The skippers girlfriend is at the tiller and I'm standing slightly forward of her on the cock pit seat watching what they are doing on the foredeck. I notice she is starting to sail "by the lee" and I caution her but she does not react so I gently moved the tiller with my foot. A few minutes pass and for some reason, I step back about 1'. The next thing I see is the end of the boom flashing past my eyes. What happened was the wind got behind the sail and flipped it over. Had I been standing where I was it would have cold conked me and I would not be writting this story. Additionally, I did not have a life vest on. I didn't even own one at the time but as soon as we got to Long Beach I bought an automatic inflator. Every time I get lazy and think I'm not going to wear it, I think of that Redondo to Long Beach race and I put it on.
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