how do you MOB?

One of biggest risks is obviously getting out of sight - v easy in rough weather and going fast. Race crews often carry waist bags with smoke flares para at night to augment danbuoy. Also lifesling recovery - sling can be attached to halyard if lightly crewed - has the advantage of the swimmer only being beside the boat for a small length of time so he/she the won't get knocked around too much and also the advantage that the swimmer's own strength is not required.

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Lob horeshoe and danbuoy over. Tack round and heave to as near as poss to matey, bung him the throw bag line, hit MOB button on GPS, wake YM and between you try to pull him back on board. Not much point wasting time making vhf call a priority if mid channel, best get on with the recovery as help wont be close at hand.

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Re: damn ... damn ...

missed my cue ages ago ....

3) not just engine switched off, eh, eh? ... engine water's off as well ...

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Agree mostly, but at the risk of sounding pedantic, Jimi said we were on a cross channel, not mid channel. So could be just off Bembridge or outside lock at St. Vaast. Could maybe be a little legal thingie if you don't make a call PDQ.





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Would agree if you assess the recovery chances as being high. However I would judge that in this scenario there is a high chance of losing sight of the MOB and therefor the sooner a helicopter, with last known position and time from the MOB on the GPS , the better. The can get a pretty accurate estimate of EP from that. Agree that if you've got hold of the MOB then no need for Mayday. Otherwise a high priority to send one. You can always cancel it but you can't revive a dead man.

<hr width=100% size=1>O wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!
 
as i'm soon to take my YM this is something i have tried to learn many different ways of doing this to pass.
having lost the only other person on deck you will need to walk the other crew to get him back on board but unhless your sailing something terable grand a fog horn is a little excesive start shouting as you see him go over that should work while you start to crash tack (heave-to) as on very few boats can you throw the MOB stuff over the side from the helm (I have a long counter so everthing is about 5ft behind me) and who steers when your throwing stuff stopping the boat as close to the casualty is important as for the recovery once you get along side a rope with a loop over the end of the boom to him/her wiht them on the leward side and then tack round this will pull them up the side and onto the deck (some mild brusing is to be expected) or else from a halyard with the other crewman on the winch.

this is how think i would do it sitting in a room of 80 computers!

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So if you switch your battery off, how does the VHF still work? I'd have thought you'd fail a YM if you switch off the vhf just 'cos you're under sail. And since not all boats have a bank of batteries, one for each purpose, doing so under an exam condition ought to fail you. And even if you did, shouldn't all be able to start the engine in an emergency?
And what's this bloke doing venturing on deck without a harness (I say "bloke" because very few ladies would take a leak over the stern, in my experience). I thought RYA guidlines had you tied on & fully lifejacketed more than 100 yards offshore. He's obviously failed his combatant crew part of the course and you should leave him behind lest you reduce the sailing school's pass rate.
Seriously, what I did notice is that (a) nobody except Jimi deployed the dahn buoy (can I make sure you're at the helm next time I take a leak unjudiciously, please Jimi? And would you mind bringing a dahn buoy with you as well?) I was once on a ship hove-to mid-atlantic where we had a "swim stop". It was flat calm but in the rollers you lost sight of a 3000-ton ship more than a hundred yards or so away. Finding a swimmer at a range of more than 100 feet is going to be questionable. At 6 knots you cover 100 feet in half a minute.
(b) everybody sails more than two-up, vis: keep "someone" pointing at the casualty: I thought more than 50% of boats were couples, the helmsman and lookout and recovery bod are you, or more worryingly, SWMBO.

In reality I've told my 1st mate to let go or push the tiller without letting go the jib (heave-to), then throw the life ring/throwing line and then drop the sails, then motor over to me. The priorities being to stop the boat, to close the casualty and to recover them, in that order. Ropes around the prop are more likely to exist in an examiner's imagination than reality, if you don't panic too much. Even so, I know we ought to try and practice more often...


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ReWidow fit and loaded

I would say"at least I tried "And hope with fingers crosed that the widow was fit, and loaded with the insurance money, cheers bob

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With all due cap doffing to Jimi (YM), and not wishing to sound sanctimonious but twas I who mentioned the danbuoy.

Also, quite common for boats to have two batteries and an isolator switch to keep starter batt in tiptop condition whilst the gps fridge and gawd knows what else drain the other one to hell.

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<<Finding a swimmer at a range of more than 100 feet is going to be questionable>>

Thats why we have a PLB direction finder and PLB's aboard (except last time I was on the boat I was so unwell I didnt dish them out). The Vecta will identify a PLB at 8Nm, so you stand a fighting chance. For £80 per person I thought the PLB's were worthwhile.

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Re: Realism

But at say 6 knots, your doing um er bout 3 mtres a second, 30 metres away in ten seconds. Get the rope out very quickly and he's now 60 metres away. There's not a chance of getting a line near him.

I fancy the dumpim option, chuck the passport attim MAKING SURE it's the right passport of course.

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Re: Realism and modernism

I no longer carry horseshoe buoys or handy rope and danbuoys anymore. Instead I have a jetski on davits. Bloke falls off, pull emergency release cord and jetski bobs about while MOB swims towards it, starts it up and erm drives back to the boat. Saves complicated tacking business too.

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That\'s nuffin\'

I'm surprised tcm hasn't said he would just go onto the foredeck, take off in the helicoptor and go back for the MOB !

<hr width=100% size=1>The problem is that God gave men a brain and a penis but only enough blood to use one at a time.
 
Re: Realism

Agree with these figs at 6 knots, it shows importance of crash stopping asap!

With comments re danbouy suggest people try chucking their inshore danbouy over the side shutting their eyes for 10 secs and try to find it again. That will focus the mind. IMHO a large offshore danbouy is a sensible investment.


<hr width=100% size=1>O wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!
 
Cor!

This sounds great! But the battery on the jetski will be switched off, won't it?

Wait a minute, it's a trap innit? We all chuck ourselves off to get a razz around on thunderbird 2 and then you will have lost the key, so then we're left sploshing about in the water trying to find those passports you flung over the side...

All in all, I think this should prompt an improved saftey briefing which should sharpen up the crew no end. "Now, if anyone falls overboard, our schedule means that we won't be stopping but we WILL be chucking their passport overboard for identification of the body if you manage to find it floating about, and/or for the remaining crew to avoid awkward questions at our destination. I recommend you wear lifejackets and clip on whilst on deck. Any arguments?"

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Re: Hotwiring a helicopter

I would, but jimi switched the battery off. Probly got the sodding keys too, and I somehow think it was him over the side choosing to leak over the side rather than in the poisonous heads.

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Re: MInor flaw rethunk

First of all, make sure all crew have passport in pocket at all times to avoid throwing after them business.

Secondly, attach battery to emergency release cord so that when it slams into the water, the battery comes winging after it too. Might need some sort of aquapac, just to be sure though and best to be ready to dodge out of the way when it come hurtling up the companionway. Am working on this...

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Re: Hotwiring a helicopter

Look just be sensible for a second .. how are you going to start a helicopter with a flat battery? Swing the rotors? Chilli con carne for lunch yum yum..

Must admit I never switch the cranking battery off but virtually everybody else I've sailed with does!

<hr width=100% size=1>O wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!
 
Re: Engine Battery Isolation

I wouldn't normally turn mine off in coastal waters. While onboard and moored I might turn it off if I think domestic items are draining it but at night I'd turn it on again before I turned in.

Just like a rarely take the keys out of the ignition.

When I need to go I might just need to get going quick.

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