Lifebuoy or rescue sling

[alahol2]

My horseshoe lifebuoy has finally given up the ghost. I've carried one for the last 30 plus years of sailing and never had to use it.
I'm thinking of replacing it with a rescue sling as that is at least a more pro-active option. Has anyone got one of the Force 4 slings? http://www.force4.co.uk/285/Windward-Rescue-Sling.html
Anyone used one?
Before anyone says I should have both, I haven't got room.

 

[lw395]

I can't see that a sling replaces the primary function of a lifering, which is something you chuck out the back of the boat ASAP as a marker and RVP for the MOB and yacht.
We don't have a sling, we rely on being able to gaff the floating line between the lifering and the light and drogue.
A sling has a lot of good points as a retrieval method though.
Probably worth making space for.

 

[pvb]

I can't see that a sling replaces the primary function of a lifering, which is something you chuck out the back of the boat ASAP as a marker and RVP for the MOB and yacht.

Is that really its primary function? I thought that was the role of the dan buoy.

I reckon horseshoe lifebuoys are on a par with kapok lifejackets; there are far better solutions today.
.

 

[lw395]

Is that really its primary function? I thought that was the role of the dan buoy.

I reckon horseshoe lifebuoys are on a par with kapok lifejackets; there are far better solutions today.
.

I'd be a bit miffed swimming to a danbuoy to find something with very little buoyancy.
Danbuoy, light, drogue and horseshoe get chucked out as one unit.
I go by the RORC guideline that the helm should be able to reach it, so it goes over the side as close as possible to the MOB.

A sling that you tow around is useless if you cannot turn the boat around very quickly, unless you have some other means of locating the casualty and he has some means off staying afloat.

Mind you, the closest I've ever come to throwing out a lifebuoy in anger was in a marina.
I think a throwing line is also important.

 

[pvb]

I'd be a bit miffed swimming to a danbuoy to find something with very little buoyancy.

I was responding to your suggestion that a lifebuoy is "something you chuck out the back of the boat ASAP as a marker and RVP for the MOB and yacht". In anything other than a flat calm, someone in the water would have trouble spotting a floating lifebuoy, but they'd see a dan buoy.

 

[Eyore]

Would definitely recommend Lifesling in conjunction with horseshoe buoy. Someone goes overboard and you throw lifebuoy with light and preferably Dan buoy. Then turn the boat around deploy the rescue sling as per the instructions ,circling it around the MOB and using it to retrieve the MOB.
On my ketch the Mizzen sheet has a snap shackle for quick removal and a ready strop so the boom can be used as a lifting derrick, all usable from the cockpit.

 

[alahol2]

I should have said I will be retaining the Dan buoy as an immediate release marker. Our mainsheet is also attached by a snap hook at the lower end and can be used to lift from water level. I've only used it to lift a battery on board from a dinghy and we currently have no strop suitable to lift a person.

 

[lw395]

I was responding to your suggestion that a lifebuoy is "something you chuck out the back of the boat ASAP as a marker and RVP for the MOB and yacht". In anything other than a flat calm, someone in the water would have trouble spotting a floating lifebuoy, but they'd see a dan buoy.

Yes, that's why our horseshoe is set up so that one tug flings it out complete with danbuoy, light and drogue.
I am fussy about this, I don't like sailing at night on boats where all this is a tangled mess.

In harbour, particularly alongside, we take the shiny new horseshoes below and put the tatty old ones on deck.

 

[Spirit of Glenans]

In Les Glenans, Baltimore, last March, we did, as an instructors refresher course, a 2-day practical study of MOB, both the boat handling(Quick-Stop Method) and retrieval of casualties on board. The latter was actually done with live subjects in the water. Various methods of retrieval were tried. Although a Lifesling, specifically, wasn't among them, as the boats are not equipped with these, towing a line attached to a floating light simulated the manoeuvre. It was found that it took a number of circumnavigations of the casualty to get it close enough. This was fine in sheltered waters but would present difficulties in a seaway, particularly in heavy weather.
Regarding physical retrieval on board; we experimented with various methods, ranging from trying pull them on board unaided,(useless!), trying to lift them using a halyard, trying to lift them using the mainsheet on the boom, parbuckling them in a small jib winched up by a halyard, and using a 4:1"Handy-Billy" clipped onto a halyard.
We found that parbuckling worked well, but was very uncomfortable for the casualty. It's probably the best method for recovery of anyone who has been in cold water for more than 15 minutes or so, as they must be recovered horizontally, if possible. The most mechanically efficient method was found to be the use of the Handy-Billy clipped to the halyard. It must be raised at least a metre above head height, so that you can pull down with your full weight on the working end. Extra purchase can be obtained by clipping a snatch-block near the base of the mast, putting the working end of the Handy billy through it and back to a winch. Regarding flotation being thrown out; the verdict was that the danbuoy and horseshoe buoy should be linked and thrown as a unit, along with the light. Furthermore cockpit cushions, if you possess them, or in a serious real life situation, settee cushions, clothing, anything that floats, should be thrown, so as to provide a debris trail, to help locate the casualty. Glenans boats are equipped with a handy billy, permanently carried, clipped across the pushpit, so that it can be instantly deployed, without tangles, capsized blocks etc.
I'll try to find the report which was written at the time and post it or provide a link, it might just help save someone's life.