‘Non-specific gender person’ overboard !!

Throw anything and everything that floats overboard. (Your problem is going to be locating the MOB because you have no-one to keep them in sight while you do the rest)
Crash stop,
Engine on,
Furl sail,
Motor back to casualty or floating bits.
 
Our view, just the two of us, prioritizes keeping in sight. Stop boat, throw something, then think.

I should add that we ALWAYS wear lifejackets. Our brief also includes actions for the person in the water which we think is useful. That is

Don't panic
Don't waste energy trying to swim, unless the danbouy is close at hand.
Huddle up in water after locating face hood and donning it.
Keep still so warming the water within your clothing without cycling it through and cooling you more.

Then simply wait for rescue.

I don't think you CAN cater for everything with only 2 people. We rely on the fact that there will be only the one emergency, ie the MOB. Injuries etc, no lifejacket possiblity, that's tough. Call CG as soon as practicable. Maydays can always be downgraded later.
 
Chuck danbuoy and horse shoe over, disengage autopilot, heaveto, hit MO on autopilot, Send Mayday. Then try and recover.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Boat on Autopilot, one crew on watch, other dozing/reading in cockpit.

SPLASH… over they go.

What is the absolute first thing that you would do ?


[/ QUOTE ]
Put the book away so that it doesn't get wet.
 
"Our view, just the two of us, prioritizes keeping in sight. Stop boat, throw something, then think"

Current RYA view is to do exactly that.
(1)Stop boat
(2)Locate MOB
(3)Retrieve MOB ASAP- this is best done under engine, but if no engine, using whichever way is best in circumstances.

eg One school, used to teach simply - start engine after a crash stop, release all sheets & use forward/reverse gears to keep boat lined up with MOB while drifting downwind onto casualty.
Concern must always be NOT to lose sight of MOB & this surely is best done by not leaving the scene to go off on 'fancy sailing excercises', looking for fender/bucket.
Sea state & whether day/night make this a priority.

Ref MOB gear, how quickly can this be deployed?
A few years ago, a friend was lost overboard, in daylight, having fallen off the stern & not clipped on etc.
The crew (2) apparently then spent time trying to release danbuoy/horseshoes etc & this time took the boat away from the MOB. They were unable then to find him!
 
A few people have suggested throwing the toys "somewhere near the MOB".

If you've ever tried swimming in a lifejacket or full clothes then you'll know that a lifebuoy "somewhere near you" might as well be on the moon.
Current RYA thinking is to crash tack straight away and sail past the casualty less than a boat width away and PASS them the toys.
 
Throw something "floaty" over the side straight away..cockpit cushion.You now have at least one marker.
MOB button on binnacle GPS
Release the horseshoe and danbuoy.In the marina I showed my crew how to release the kit (Takes me about four seconds) First attempt for her was half a minute and after a long session launching and retrieving she can now release it very quickly.Althoght we sail very regularly we still go through the full briefing at the start of a two week trip checking out the safety and emergency kit.

Next phase is to check lines are out of water Engine on release on sheets motor back to markers.
Do the best you can to get near the POB and try to get them to side of vessel then using your pre planned method get them onboard.
Play the "What if" game when things are all going well and if the worst occurs you might be able to cope.
Acouple of Sailing schools are now running a "Suddenly Alone "course which seems a good idea but I feel that as every boat is different you should go through an in case plan for all crew.
 
I have an issue in that SWMBO is 4'10", very slight, and unable to get our inboard outboard started on her own. She knows how to "crash heave to" and this is the first thing she would do, followed by chucking the horse shoe to me.

I move around the deck with the same care I would if I was single handed.

We only sail in daylight, within sight of land, sheltered waters.

I await comments.....
 
[ QUOTE ]
Throw something "floaty" over the side straight away..cockpit cushion.You now have at least one marker.
MOB button on binnacle GPS
Release the horseshoe and danbuoy.In the marina I showed my crew how to release the kit (Takes me about four seconds) First attempt for her was half a minute and after a long session launching and retrieving she can now release it very quickly.

[/ QUOTE ]

So by my calculations perhaps 20 - 25 seconds elapse between MOB and deploying the toys? Especially with added panic. All of which time you're sailing away from them. A lifebuoy in the water 25 seconds sailing (100m perhaps) from a MOB is of no use to them.

I like your attitude in keeping familiar with your kit but I would definately add a crash tack as your first thing to do in order to get the toys to the person where they can actually do what they're designed for.
 
Things to do before going overboard

1. Ensure there is always an active MOB button by the helm. We currently have a helm chartplotter/radar repeater but before we had that I used to ensure we had a handheld Garmin GPS at the helm plugged into a 12V extension lead so that its not relying on internal batteries.

2. Practise crash tack. Dependant on characteristics of boat we have found on ours by NOT touching genoa sheet and tacking the boat comes right back to the casualty and almost stops. Letting go of the main at that time ensures it stops heave to besides the casualty.

If these 2 conditions above are met and asuming you are then effectively singlehanded I would then suggest

A) hit the MOB button

B) crash tack and start engine to give that little extra manouvre ability

C) when alongside casualty pass additional buoyancy and a rope.

D) get on board as quick as possible either over stern if sugar scoop and very calm or use spare Halyard and a winch or take it forward and use electric windlass.

I also encourage crew to carry the 10 red parachute mini flare pack. If other boats around I would be hope the casualty launched one to summon help.

There are so many senarios its difficult to give exact advice but in my book its always a Mayday situation and call it in if you can (handheld by the helm?) but not if its prejudicing the chance of a quick recovery.
 
There really is no correct answer to this problem! It is all down to ability,luck and prayer.
Keep practising and keep safe.
How often do the crew use the VHF to call for a berth,radio-check or chat with another boat.If they don't use it regularly could they remember how in an emergency.
Don't forgot that after recovery a POB should be kept under CLOSE observation in case the lungs are filling with body fluid. to dilute the effects of ingested sea water.."Secondary drowning"
 
My two grains of salt, for what it's worth... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Case 1: the boat <u>can be stopped immediately</u> : just do it!
- crash tack ( never crash jibe if wind is strong!)
- quick check for lines hanging overboard
- start engine
- go back near MOB
- if he does not wear a lifejacket, pass him a lifebuoy (preferably with a line attached) to help him float
- proceed with pre-defined recovery drill

case 2: the boat <u>cannot</u> be stopped rapidly (e.g. running under poled-out sails): the priority becomes <u>keeping track of the casualty's position</u> !
- hit the nearest MOB button (to have a GPS position to sail back to)
- throw overboard the danbuoy and associated lifebuoy (both to have something visible to sail back to and for the casualty to - somehow - grab)
- cool down and think for a second and perform whatever it takes to regain control of the boat (roll-up the poled sails, snuff down the spi or just lose it, whatever)
- reverse course, start engine, sail or - better - motor back to the GPS's MOB position
- if time and conditions allow, <u>now</u> could be the time to run below-decks for a moment and launch a Mayday (a DSC emergency alert would be much better, as it sends out the GPS position): frankly, I do not think the CG can realistically be of any help unless things go <u>very</u> bad, in which case a minute won't make any difference!
- proceed as above once you get near the MOB

Case 3: near-survival conditions (i.e. the boat is not really under control, may even be unable to sail back to the casualty): under such condition, I would never sail with reduced crew and poled-out sails, as <u>immediately stopping the boat</u> might really be the only chance for the MOB:
- crash stop the boat, now
- hit MOB button (if the recovery fails, you'll have a position to report and/or sail back to)
- <u>immediately</u> throw to the casualty a lifebuoy with a line attached to the boat (this may be your only chance to get him back!)
- if first attempt to connect the casualty fails, or earlier if you can spare a minute, send a Mayday out

Sounds too complicated, but in reality case 1 is just a "simplified case 3", so it all boils down to: "stop if you can, mark the position if you cannot"
 
Achillesheel

I have no comments other than it sounds like good practise. We are not dissimilar in our sailing. Our primary brief really is to prevent going over the side in the first place. It's visitors and other people that we worry about mostly, and we always show them the bits and pieces and tell them what to do if they are overboard themselves.

Pops
 
Gian

I like that one, especially about not being in a position to stop. No-one has yet mentioned that Oscar thingy, motoring or sailing round the POB until he picks it up. We have one near the helm.

Assuming a concious POB, of course.

Pops
 
If you are wearing a life jacket you don't need to be passed any toys. What you really want is to be found; tossing lots of floaty things overboard helps the boat identify the general area of the MOB. A man in the water is very difficult to see in any sort of chop, floating objects are much easier to spot.
 
I was always told by a RNLI cox'on the following - Dan Dan saves the man.

So the first thing you do is launch the dan buoy it gives a better reference point than just a head. It should also drift with the tide similar to, but not the same, as the MOB - it can be seen from a greater distance.

Peter.
 
Has anyone mentioned not using the prop when alongside the MOB. Better still killing the engine.
Remember that RIB accident this year when the guy lost his leg?
 
Ta, LS. Will add that to the list. Mind you, with a saildrive, I'm not sure you could get any of yourself near it in a 36 footer.

We don't plan to use the bathing steps either. Our rudder blade is awfully close to the transom edge, and would probably scythe the POB in half if there's any wave action. Which there almost certainly would be.

Pops
 
If there'a a spare person ie more than one of you then one person should point and not take eyes off the MOB for a nanosecond!
 
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