What would you do
Education is essential and so is practice. Andrea has taken several United States Power Squadron classes including Public Boating, Seamanship, and Piloting. Man overboard is taught in at least two of these classes. Because the steps vary a bit on a sailboat according to the point of sail, number of crew, or whether you are under power. We ofter play "what would you do if I fell overboard." After we get past the "check to make sure your insurance is paid up," we discuss the steps based on the current situation. This may seem a bit of overkill, but remember they put pilots into simulators at considerable expense just to make sure they can execute things they know how to do very well. I make it a point to get Andrea to start the engine, handle the helm, make calls on the radio, and do those things she does less often that are the skills needed to handle a MOB situation. During a MOB situation is not the time to learn new skills. George
