How Not to Fall Off

[thinwater]

Not to long ago, on some forum, there was a thread on "not falling off." His point was not about using tethers and jackstays as much as avoiding risky behavior. He felt that discussion would pay better returns than talking about MOB recovery, which is not a sure thing in good conditions and is a long shot in bad conditions. Sort of like defensive driving vs. first aid.

What practices cause MOBs? I once did a survey of a large group of US F-boat (Farrier) sailors and racers. It was enlightening. Nearly all of the MOBS had just a few causes.

• Taking down a chute when something tangled.
• Net failure. The bow nets on these boats are quite light and really not designed for working use. Why people do bewilders me. But lifeline failures do happen on monohulls.
• Running on deck to get in position for a tack. A dumb racer thing.
• Out the back of the cockpit, normally because they tripped. Some of them remove lifelines, go figure.

These are racers on sport boat/trimarans. I'm sure the answers are different from cruising monohulls. What are they?

• How do people fall of docks (and don't just say carelessness)?
• Is there a best way to board a dinghy (I know there are good and bad ways with a sea kayak)?
• Falling from the deck is not random. Are there specific acts that are high risk?
  • Accidental jibes. The cabin top and traveler areas are poor places to tarry.
  • Working with both hands on a head sail. Tether.
  • Stepping on a rope that rolls. Watch your feet. Re-rig. Smaller ropes (Dyneema) and webbing are safer.
  • Tripping over something. The control lines on my boat are deadly. Re-rig. But watch your feet.
• Move from hand hold to hand hold. It is easy to forget this one.

For example, Evan Starzinger once made a strong argument to US Sailing for work station tethers vs. jackstays. People were not falling off when moving along the side deck, because they were holding on and focused on movement. They were falling off when working on something with both hands, not paying attention to the movement of the boat. Where they needed tethered was at the mast, while grinding, and in the pulpit.

I can't remember any specific close calls and I have not had an MOB. I did fall off a dock once while carrying a heavy battery when a dock board broke. I managed to toss the battery onto the dock on the way over and swam to the ladder, which was simple to pull down. A was far more concerned about the battery than a quick dunking.

 

[Refueler]

Lets see now ... from personal memory / experience :

MOB :

Unusual movement of boat while handing sail - particularly main when boom swings out with a freak wave or motion. (Nearly lost Wife overboard from a stupid Jetski causing huge wave while she was handing mainsail).

The one foot dinghy - one foot boat dance ! Can be anything else actually not just boat ... My first Wife did it ...

Guy I knew was midships leaning out trying to see problem at mast head ... leaned a little too far !!

I will mention it - but I think in reality - its a USCG wivestale ..... the open trouser flies indicating guy was taking a piss and not holding on ..

Falling in off dock / pontoon ?

My present wife did exactly what I told her NOT to do ... jump from bow to pontoon when coming in ... the pontoon finger being narrow just tipped and in she went.

Saw a guy step of boat to quay - with very short line in hand !!

Another was fending off a boat ... forgot to let go of boat BEFORE he passed that pivot point !!

If I remember any others - will update list !!

 

[Petertheking1982]

Ive walked off a pontoon 3 times now (20 years working in marinas and on boats). First tripped on a coiled rope left on the dock. Second t junction on pontoons, decided to cut corner but didnt take big enough step. Third pressure washing finger pontoon walking backwards, just walked in! All three basicly not looking at where im putting my feet. All three in lifejacket that did not inflate (profesionaly serviced every year).
EDIT never been or had mob from boat, i try and pay a bit more attention!

 

[KompetentKrew]

Not to long ago, on some forum, there was a thread on "not falling off." His point was not about using tethers and jackstays as much as avoiding risky behavior. He felt that discussion would pay better returns than talking about MOB recovery, which is not a sure thing in good conditions and is a long shot in bad conditions. Sort of like defensive driving vs. first aid.

Does anyone ever do man not-overboard practice?

Was it this thread?

 

[ylop]

How do people fall of docks (and don't just say carelessness)?

I’d guess tripping on ropes, cables, hoses and cleats. If they are your own that is one thing but other people’s chaos is harder!

• Is there a best way to board a dinghy (I know there are good and bad ways with a sea kayak)?

An instructor once told me (which does not make it true but it is at least feasible) that greatest risk was not getting into the dinghy but rather getting back out? I assumed that was because many of those times alcohol may have been involved!

 

[SvenH]

Good thing to ponder on this side of the equation.

Someone I know once did not fall off. He did worse and immediately sold his boat and stopped boating.
He was cleaning his cabin top and stepped off backwards, in to the cockpit. I think it was not life threatening but he did pass out.

As with some of the instances above it was probably being absent minded some how and as far as I can tell this is where murphy's law applies:
If there are a number of things in which something can go wrong, and you find a way to prevent all of them, a new way for things to go wrong will immediately appear.

Having well developed routines and a well set up boat and -practices helps, but cannot prevent everything.

For me practice does matter, for instance not shying away from doing "dangerous stuff" in more than normal wind, so you dare to do it if you really need it. Gybing, taking sails down outside in a chop where I could have entered calmer waters (and still could if it had not worked), heaving too to get some rest when fatigued.

 

[ProDave]

I am sure I once heard a major cause of MOB was losing your balance while having a pee over the side.

 

[Refueler]

"Someone I know once did not fall off. He did worse and immediately sold his boat and stopped boating.
He was cleaning his cabin top and stepped off backwards, in to the cockpit. I think it was not life threatening but he did pass out."

Farlington Marsh Fishing Club - Langstone Hbr ... they were given an area for tidal moorings but required to provide for at least 5 yachts ... I was lucky enough to have one.
It was common that for working on the boats we would wait high tide and put boat up the little creek near the Incinerator. A small boat yard was there ...
I put my Snapdragon 23 triple keel up there for some work and was engaged on work near the mast .. tide was out and creek near dry and stones.

I did EXACTLY what that guy did - but landed on my back in the creek .... it winded me so bad - I was struggling to get a breath .. then suddenly air in lungs ... I tried to stand up but best I could do was sit ... took a while for me to be able to stand ...
For weeks after - my back hurt ... but I realised I was lucky that the creek bed was relatively flat and no large rock to break my back ....

I had completely forgotten about it until reading that ... and now I remember how much it hurt !!

 

[Refueler]

I am sure I once heard a major cause of MOB was losing your balance while having a pee over the side.

USCG tales of finding guys with zips undone ...

 

[RivalRedwing]

Falling off a pontoon (backwards) when hauling on a line attached to a boat in the process of mooring .. the line was not well cleated off on the boat

I had to fish the chap out ... the crew were onboard and drifting away

 

[johnalison]

An interesting and worthwhile thread. I've not yet fallen in, but, as I reported elsewhere, a mate fell in the other day. In his case it was just carelessness. We had returned and already tied up. He was on the finger, which is quite sturdy, and just found himself in the water between my boat and the finger. He thinks that he put a foot on a hoop, which we have ashore instead of cleats, and it slipped. His lifejacket inflated and it was not difficult for him to work his way round to the stern and my boarding-ladder.

A few years ago one of our club members fell off his smack off Ostend and had drowned by the time his crew got him back on board. He was known to be somewhat gung-ho and was not wearing a lifejacket. I think that an analysis of which behaviours carry the most risk would be very interesting, not just the bare figures of how many fell doing this or that but taking into account how often these activities are performed.

 

[johnalison]

duplicate deleted

 

[Stemar]

I've had two unscheduled swims. The first was a Tom & Jerry moment between the dinghy and the boat while moored for lunch in Langstone Harbour. That taught me a good lesson; I had a ladder fixed to the transom, but it was tied up, and I needed to cut the string to drop it, but my knife was in my trousers pocket, under my oilies. That could have been nasty if I'd been on my own, or the water had been cold, so I've been a bit of a fanatic about boarding ladders being accessible from the water ever since.

The other time, I was sighted crew on a cruise taking blind people sailing. A blind person was being escorted back to the boat from a meal ashore at night, and he and his escort stepped off the edge of the pontoon. We fished them out, and I took the blind guy's wallet ashore to dry it out with a hair dryer. Coming back, as I turned onto the finger pontoon, I stepped into empty space in exactly the same place as the original incident. Fortunately, I'm a good swimmer and comfortable in the water, so not a problem to make my way to the ladder and climb out. Looking at the place, that finger berth was the first of a narrow set after several wider ones, and there was a mooring line for another boat that, in the poor lighting, looked just like the edge of a wider pontoon.

No. alcohol was not involved in either incident.

 

[jdc]

I've not (but this maybe a bad thing since it has engendered a rather bad attitude; I almost never wear a lifejacket) but I have had two people go over from my boats.

The first was when I was sailing as the sole adult with my sister's only child, plus my eldest - both aged about 7. My nephew was just hyper and bouncing around in the cockpit when suddenly he went over the pushpit - I still don't know quite why. Crash gybe and we stopped exactly at him and I hauled him aboard. Then we just carried on (I didn't want to frighten the boys, so a sort of 'silly child, now go and get changed' non-event reaction was appropriate, even 'tho I felt sick at what might have been).

The other was when, a bit bored with the Times crossword maybe (or my company), in the middle of the Irish Sea my brother suddenly leapt over the stern shouting "man overboard'. I should have just sailed on, but actually we rescued him. Only conclusion is that madness runs in families.

 

[thinwater]

Great responses!

• Not watching feet. Tripping hazards sometimes complicated this, but not watching the feet was primary. I stepped on a rope that rolled on my F-24 last time I was out. Not a close call, but gut-tightening.
• The companionway. I've taken a variety of tumbles and partly stepped in from the cabin top once. I just added fresh non-skid to the steps; wet varnish is deadly, even when textured.
• Well developed routines help. No question. Muscle memory and putting the hands and feet he right places. Blocked practice.
• Peeing over the side is just too dumb to discuss. I have no idea if it is true. I've been guilty. I also have a head and a pee-bottle with a skull and cross bones on it.

I've fallen from the bow of a boat when a dock line snagged coming in and the boat stopped very suddenly. Harmless but educational. Forgot about that one, since it was over 30 years ago. I did learn from it! My dad jumped off my beach cat once, but that doesn't count. I'm not counting some dinghy capsizes and pitch poles in sporty conditions either. Some were unavoidable at my skill level at the time and none were dangerous. Just playing.

The only recoveries I have ever been involved in related to small boats that had capsized or dismasted. The people were capable of climbing a ladder in ~ force 4-5 conditions.

Boat yard falls are another topic. I witnessed a bad one from a ladder. Ended his career.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

There is, of course, the old adage of one hand for yourself and one for the boat. If I need two hands, I try to have my arms round something like the mast or shrouds, or sit or lie down. But I am trying to reduce my need to go on deck at sea as far as possible. Not quite to the extremes of Roger Taylor's Ming Mings, but heading in that direction!

Climbers have a similar idea of always having three points on the rock.

 

[Neeves]

I’d guess tripping on ropes, cables, hoses and cleats. If they are your own that is one thing but other people’s chaos is harder!

An instructor once told me (which does not make it true but it is at least feasible) that greatest risk was not getting into the dinghy but rather getting back out? I assumed that was because many of those times alcohol may have been involved!

There were an increasing number of drownings (sometimes involving alcohol), more mature men, often well versed with the sea, which resulted in the wearing of lifejackets mandatory in dinghies when alone or with children and for all occupants at night. I have not seen any recent statistics indicating this has reduced drownings. There are hefty penalties if you are caught without a LJ.

Jonathan

 

[ylop]

Oban lifeboat had a shout today to someone who missed the pontoon at the transit marina when "leaping across with a line" and incurred a shoulder injury which made simple recovery "impossible". Those must be among the more common dunkings, without the usual risks of having to find/recover the casualty but with extra risk of being squished by the boat.

 

[Neeves]

For example, Evan Starzinger once made a strong argument to US Sailing for work station tethers vs. jackstays. People were not falling off when moving along the side deck, because they were holding on and focused on movement. They were falling off when working on something with both hands, not paying attention to the movement of the boat. Where they needed tethered was at the mast, while grinding, and in the pulpit.

I'm sympathetic to Evan's ideas - the tethers should be attached to something other than the jackstays, or as well as, when you are working. As you say there are a limited number of locations where you need to work, with both hands, or just one hand, and it is not difficult to install strong points - and importantly - use them.

And there is nothing wrong when transitting to do so by crawling.

I understand the reasoning for open transoms but not the reasoning that should follow - a net to catch something that is swept out of the cockpit.

Jonathan

 

[thinwater]

... Climbers have a similar idea of always having three points on the rock.

In fact, the modern thinking is a bit more complicated than that. Three points of contact, for example, don't help much if the rock is steep or overhanging. It has largely been replaced by several other maxims:

• Anchors should be redundant. If not redundant, beyond conceivable reproach. Food for though when climbing the mast or building any safety system.
• Anchors must be simple to inspect at a glance, not a spider's web. Simple knots, no complex interconnections.
• If you don't have a good anchor or the ground is sketchy, substitute time. In practice this does not always means moving slowly, but it always means climbing with great focus and care when a fall is poorly protected. If you have no safety line, prevent falling by focusing 100% on secure movement. It might not be obvious, but this is what you see when Arnold soloed El Capitan. Focus.
• The correlary is that if you cannot focus on climbing or holding on, then your anchors must be beyond reproach. Only then can you focus on your work.

More than once, way up in the mountains, my partner would remind me that "this would be a good time not to fall." Sort of dark humor, but a warning that you are in the serious injury/death zone. MOB can be like that. Like climbing, there are safe times and places to fall, and times when you must be able to just not fall though focus or rigging.