MOB Procedures Practiced

[Ben Allen]

Went out today for a sail with family and another couple. Weather was great, sunny, uppper 60's in temperature, and wind ranging from 0 to about 15 MPH. We were crusing along, listening to the radio, enjoying a lake with very few power boats today, and just taking in the peace and quite, when all of a sudden, there came the sound of a small splash, and then the words that you really do not like to hear, "Man Over Board." The whole crew jumped into action, as I started to bring the boat around, another was getting the dock pole ready to grab, and my wife went down the boarding ladder to assist with the rescue. The boat was brought around in a figure 8, bringing it just to the port of the person overboard, and jsut as we came along side, my heroic wife reached out and grabbed from the cluches of a certain watery death, my sons Red Power Ranger. With everyone safely back on board, we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon sailing. While this just envolved a toy, it was the first time I have tried to get back to a position to pick something up in the water. Do the rest of you practice MOB drills, weather permitting, and what kind of outcome have you experienced?

 

[Justin - O'day Owners' Web]

We do drill

We do practive man overboard on my boat, but then I'm a pretty safety oriented skipper. Everyone on my boat also wears a jacket at all time while underway and in the cockpit or on deck. I have a bunch of inflatables, so at least they're not too odious. Anytime I'm alone, I wear a harness, as well as at times when there is another person aboard but they're not competent to get the boat back to me and get me out of the water.Darcy or I will occasionally chuck a fender into the water and then call MOB. The other person then does the drill. We have pretty different styles, but both seem to work.My preference is to to immediately tack the boat, then stall it head to wind and back down on the target. Darcy perfers to jib and do a more traditional looping approach. Both of us consider clipping into the jackline and then throwing the lifesling over to be paramount as the first two items of business.We have rigged out boom and mainsheet to work as a crew recovery crane, because Darcy is not large enough to haul me over the side if I am unable to assist her. We used technora for the topping lift (1/4 size has 6000lb breaking strenght. Yes, I meant to type three zeros) and the mainsheet is attached to the travler with a snapshackle. Release it, swing the boom out. Clip shackle to harnesss on person overboard, and up they come.We tend to practice about every third day on the water, and its gotten to be a bit of a game. Of course, Darcy likes to play it just when I am beating another boat to a mark. Haven't had to try it for real, but I'm confident it will work.In addition to MOB, we practive heaving too, anchoring and retreiving without engine or windlass, sailing w/o rudder, and other things I can't think of. We don't think of it as chores, but as games we can play with out boat.Justin - O'Day Owners' Web

 

[Paul Palmer]

Man overboard

The October issue of Sail Magazine has an article on rapid-recovery MOB techniques that can be done by one person and returns to the person in the water within 60 seconds.CLOSE-HAULED RECOVERY1. Throw lifering. Turn boat immediately to a beam reach.2. Count 5 seconds.3. Turn boat into and through the wind allowing the jib to backwind( do not adjust the jibsheets ).4. Steer slightly upwind of overboard victim in hove-to mode.5. When along side throw a line to the victim.BEAM-REACH RECOVERY1. Throw life ring. Maintain boat's course on a beam reach.2. Count 5 seconds.3. Turn boat into the wind and back-wind the jib and finish recovery as above.BROAD-REACH recovery1. Throw life ring. Harden sheets and turn to a close-hauled course .2. Sail close-hauled until the boat is on a beam-reach layline to the victim.3. Turn boat into the wind to backwind the jib and finish as above.Paul Palmer