danbuoy / MOB gear mounting - what do you have?

Jumbleduck,

I'm sure you know really but it's a good point; I suppose with luck and judgement one could secure the upper section of a danbuoy just enough to extend it then release it for deploying...

This is one of my hobby horses, sailing schools teach MOB with an army of people on board, " You; keep pointing to the casualty..., you - put out a radio message - you, start the engine, - you, let go the sails - you, put her on a reach...'

When I did my exam MOB I'd been quietly warned not to let on to the examiner that I usually sailed with just my then fiancee or he'd make me do it solo; in fact I was happy to let him know, partly as it was a fair test and partly I found it easier to just do things than order people around !

One pet idea I have now I singlehand a lot is a light line tied around the end of the autopilot ram, up over the pushpit rail, then trailing a good few yards aft.

With a bit of luck if I go over the side while she's on auto I could grab this line and disengage the autopilot off the tiller.
 
Seajet said:
Jumbleduck,

I'm sure you know really but it's a good point; I suppose with luck and judgement one could secure the upper section of a danbuoy just enough to extend it then release it for deploying...
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No, really, I don't. The thing came with the boat and I have no idea how one is supposed to use it. I see all sorts of suggestions for automatic deployment, but how is the telescopic bit intended to untelescope itself without human intervention?

On the racing boats mentioned I think putting a danbuoy up the hole in the stern would be a waste of a perfectly good torpedo tube.
 
Seajet said:
This is one of my hobby horses, sailing schools teach MOB with an army of people on board, " You; keep pointing to the casualty..., you - put out a radio message - you, start the engine, - you, let go the sails - you, put her on a reach...'
.
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precisely. this is what we have all been brought up on- and it works great with a big crew. Yet I look around the yacht club and probably 2/3rds of the club sail either solo or husband 'n' wife.

There was recently an incident down my club with a man and a woman crew of 2 aboard a J/109. the lady went over and although the J was brought back to her in short order the chap could not get her back on board. thats with a yacht that manouvres like a big dinghy and has an open transom. the poor lady was in the water for an hour and very hypothermic before eventually being recovered through a combination of helo and inshore lifeboat.

I'd like to think I am strong enough to pull my better half back on board, but I have a huge amount of freeboard although I do have a ladder on the transom. which would probably smash the skull of the person in the water....?
Again, I'd like to think that I could pull myself out up the ladder if my wife got the boat back to me becuase theres no way she could lift me. I bet in reality I would be dissapointed on both counts.

clearly the single best thing one can do is clip on even in benign conditions, but the above incident and a peep at how difficult my MOB gear is to deploy has got me thinking that I have thus far had a 'hope it will work on the day' cavalier attitude towards a MOB situation during this phase (shorthanded, with young family) of my sailing career.
 
Contessaman,

about 3 years ago I managed to go over the side at my mooring, I suppose my excuse is that I hadn't had any sleep, anyway trod in the wrong place in the rigid tender, zip ! Straight upside down on top of me.

That in itself would be quite traumatic to a lot of people I think, luckily I'm used to racing dinghies.

I was wearing an auto lifejacket which inflated as advertised - quite cumbersome though and only a 175 newton job, I have some of the bigger ones ( 250 ? ) and that would have been a pain.

Anyway I had an inexperienced but fit chum left in the cockpit.

My boat has quite low freeboard aft, about 2'; the guardrail pelican hooks ( I think a very important feature for MOB or just getting in & out of dinghies ) were already undone.

I have a big snapshackle on the bottom of the mainsheet and a strong topping lift, specifically for lifting MOB's; sadly the blocks met chock-a-block without lifting me much and my chum didn't know how to adjust the topping lift to get more height.

It was a real struggle to get me back aboard.

When I mentioned this on our club forum it turned out I was the 3rd or 4th experienced bloke to do this at the moorings !

The owner of a nearby boat - alone - lost his grip and went down tide to the next mooring buoy where he was very luckily spotted.

Another, also alone, was anchored in a wide barren part of the harbour in January whhen he went over the side, also alone.

He says he was going under when by pure blind luck a passing marina work boat saw him.

All of us were wearing lifejackets and I think it a fair bet the other two probably wouldn't have survived without, I may or may not have - I had only just got into this habit for trips in the tender though I've always been careful about clipping on when under way if in the slightest doubt; when singlehanding and going forward I make sure I'm clipped on every time, no exceptions.
 
contessaman said:
clearly the single best thing one can do is clip on even in benign conditions, but the above incident and a peep at how difficult my MOB gear is to deploy has got me thinking that I have thus far had a 'hope it will work on the day' cavalier attitude towards a MOB situation during this phase (shorthanded, with young family) of my sailing career.
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My assumptions are that (a) if I go overboard, only professional help will get me out the water and (b) that if professional help does not arrive, I will die. I do a lot of clipping on.
 
I posted a thing about danbuoys but it seems to have vapourised.

There is a point to even singlehanders carrying danbuoys - and horseshoe liferings with light, drogue etc - in case one comes across someone else in an emergency.

I once responded to a call from the CG, a woman had been knocked over the side; this was in a F5 + off Hayling so a bit lumpy and outside the Solent.

About 20 other yachts joined in searching as we were a lot quicker on scene than the helicopter; sadly we couldn't find her and she died, I maintain this was because she was wearing STUPID TRENDY WHITE WATERPROOFS which were invisible among the wave crests.

However if we had found her the first actions would have been to throw her the horseshoe lifering and danbuoy.

There was another time when I came across a semi-sunken large heavy wooden open boat ( something like an RN waler ) which was a hazard, if I'd had a cheap disposable danbuoy it would have been really useful to mark the thing, - I reported the position to the local CG - but I wouldn't leave an expensive RORC danbuoy on it; the same goes if one comes across a semi submerged container I suppose, maybe we need some cheap disposable danbuoy markers ?
 
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I have, like others, a length of rainwater pipe fixed to the pushpit & drop the danbuoy in that
I had not considered fixing it to the lifebuoy. The danbuoy will go first as my crew always wear life jackets- my rule is no life jacket then sail with someone else-
However, this thread has me thinking
Why not attach the tube to the transom just above the waterline with a hinge ( could be a simple cord)
The top would be at just above deck level & attached with a clip with a pin through it
Then when the lifebelt goes it could pull a pin out of the top of the tube & the tube pivots thus dropping the danbuoy
Being behind the transom would reduce windage & remove some clutter off the pushpit
 
Daydream Believer,

I see what you're getting at; but it would require the pin to be pulled at 90 degrees - so difficult for people overboard to do - or else too easily pulled out when berthing ?

Also it would be vulnerable to knobbling by lines from other boats when rafted out, ask me how I know and my resulting ' chats ' with a British Army officer who reckoned ' his men ' were entitled to lassoe anything going ! :rolleyes:
 
Seajet said:
Daydream Believer,

I see what you're getting at; but it would require the pin to be pulled at 90 degrees - so difficult for people overboard to do - or else too easily pulled out when berthing ?

Also it would be vulnerable to knobbling by lines from other boats when rafted out, ask me how I know and my resulting ' chats ' with a British Army officer who reckoned ' his men ' were entitled to lassoe anything going ! :rolleyes:
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No the pin could be in line with boat. Just arranged so the unit dropped 2 inches to clear the bracket which could be done if the bottom was on a line rather than a hinge
The unit is in no greater danger than my gps & weatherman aerial
The trouble might come from those who always insist on rigging shore lines even when i ask them not to.
Bit that issue is in another thread
 
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