Man overboard ........

M

MasterofHera

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10.00hrs in the Lossie Marina it was a nice sunny day relatively calm sea and SWMBO and I were up for a bit of a sail. But forecast was for wind increasing before 12.00 so we decieded to have a go at "recovery" of man overboard instead. We all ( well some) know the theory but have you practised it? I dont mean "throw in fender or tyre" and go about and with your arm extended "hook" it from the water as on my dinghy course. I mean throw in a proper man ..ME or YOU!!!! Well the idea was mine so SWMBO said "in you go".

Please note man overboard will (should) never occur for us as we will be always hooked with 3 hook harnesses

So we have physically done single handed pick up with a lone female rescuer.

Boat Folkboat low freeboard no guard rails.

MOB Male 66yrs 11.00stone.

SWMBO Blonde blue eyes age (mature) ex rock climber and diver scared of nothing.

Gear. Crewsaver 275 LJ/S x2 crotch straps 3 point harnesses
The skipper explained the basics to the crew (SWMBO). she says "OK get in the water and I/ll give it a go".
We are alongside the pontoon (with luck nobody is looking) as the "volunteer" in his wet suit and Crewsaver jumps into the water. Tried to make it a bit funny..... now the serious stuff begins. Remember we are not in a heavy sea which would magnify the problems x100.
Its July but god this water is cold ....pull cord...huge "Woof" as LJ inflates ...thats a good start.
SWMBO knows what to do (she's read the book) "Keeping her eye on the MOB" she depowers the Main and removes the Main Sheet from its usual position (half way along the boom) and places it at the end of the boom.
God its cold in here why doesn/t she get a move on.
She removes the main sheet from the main sheet track (dont worry she's well clipped on) and offers the snap hook to me (what if I was unconscious) .My hands are cold ..the 275 is holding me well .....I finally clip on. I am to be rescued (even from the Marina) BUT .....SWMBO hauls away ...first I drift away from the boat ..... and "Hera" heels like in a force 10. With a little advice from the "volunteer" pull the "f++++in" boom in I arrrive back at the boat and we can start again. But SWMBO has problems with the Main Sheet ..in a moment of panic she has managed to get the pulleys crossed up. God its cold in here ..what if no wet suit. Pulleys sorted now and I am nearly back on board but still SWMBO cant seem to get me onboard even with no guard rails to get in the way of my fully inflated LJ. So she dropped the tail of the main sheet to me and I managed to haul myself up and aboard. We tried this 4 times before SWMBO managed to haul me inboard on her own (shear bloody minded ness on her behalf).

Lesssons learned No.1 Stay clipped on at all times.
No.2 Wear LJ/s all time.
No.3 Buy expensive boat with "Sugar scoop"
No.4 Buy boat with "swimmin" ladder at stern.
No.5 Main one NEVER FALL OVERBOARD and practise your drill with real people.

Safe sailing to all ...Mike and Rita.
 
Yes I've been a volunteer overboard victim before now, and if I had been unconcious, and not able to assist, I don't see any way they would have easily recovered me (mobo, with no winches or boom etc)
 
I nonce went overboard when on my own in a RIB. Ploughed headlong into an above average wave and got swept off the boat. Engine cut, as it should. I am about 30 feet from the boat. Swam back to the boat and managed to catch hold of it, but it took me a while to catch it. But, try what I might, I could not get back on board. My energy had gone. Water was freezing (well, it was cold). Took me about 3 weeks to get back aboard (Well, it seemd like it, apparently it was about 15 minutes). A lesson learned.

I recently saw our local Fire Brigade had a plastic device on their RIB called a Jason's cradle. Very simple, very clever.

If I ever buy another RIB, I will get one, with an electric winch. So if you see a guy who looks like a plonkerr with a jasons cradle on a RIB, that'll probably be me.
 
I have practised this quite a few times. I always have with me a tribuckle for parbuckling a casualty on board, a 6:1 tackle made onto the spinnaker halyard when not flying the latter, and a drisuit. I believe that the only way you are going to get an unconscious MOB back on board is to put someone in a drisuit (or wet) alongside the casualty in the water. Some will argue that you are doubling your troubles by putting a second person in the water, but the ignominy of not having done everything possible to retrieve the MOB would live for ever with all skippers. I have had five crew fall overboard during my time at sea, all, thank heavens, within 100 yards of a pontoon, but those are other stories. Others will say that much will depend on the swell, waves, and whether it is day or night. I agree, but it is a skipper's responsibility to think through all the what if situations and at least to have the minimum of equipment to recover a person overboard. It is often easier to get back to the MOB under sail than to recover the casualty from the water.
 
TCM did this about a 100 or so miles out into the Atlantic, only he didn't have a life jacket on, but he was wearing shorts and had a fag on the go.
 
I've done all the drills numerous times, and concluded there is very little (close to zero) chance my rather petite wife could get me back on board. We have a long MOB ladder ready to go, danbuoy, lifesling, etc, and I've said "chuck it all over, stop the boat best you can, and put out a Mayday". It's largely up to me to get back to the ladder and climb out. Otherwise I hope the RNLI or helicopter are close by...I REALLY BELIEVE THAT FOR US THAT IS THE REALITY! The important thing is to think it through for your likely situation, then do what you can to try the method out. For example, we found it was far better to have the ladder attached midships but on top of the cabin...that gave a series of rungs running up and over the deck to act as forward grab points once I'd climbed to the gunwhales. I'd never have thought of this if we hadn't tried it attached in the conventional way.
 
Great input ...just what I hoped for ....so "SWMBO" and I took it further ......she was not strong enough on the boom (in the first place)...so .... she dropped the main sail .....(still clipped on) and hooked me up to the M/S upmast rope surely this will get me out of the water. But with two wraps round the winch (the winch handle was lost overboard ) she was not able to haul me aboard. Practise time and again and DO NOT FALL OVERBOARD I think I can shout today. Mike
 
Thanks for that, we have the same sytem as you haave described and worry that SWMBO would not be able to get me back in.

We do clip on at all times
 
Hiya Keith, one must assume, though, that the average man overboard is not as mad as a box of frogs!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Excellent excercise.
I prefer to sail without rails and have a low freeboard. This has caused me a lot of thought as I'm the sailor and the Wife isn't and my kids are small, one with Down's Syndrome, so not too useful in a crisis and has to be looked after at all times.

My solution? On Cleone, I've the luxury of a loose footed main, which means the boom is always available as a point of attachment for a three part tackle (Handy Billy- used for lots of things). Which has strops and toggles for fast attachment. Also, a decent length swimming ladder is on the coachroof, ready for instant deployment. Training drills and an 'idiot-script' for the VHF. And, yes, LJs and harnesses always.


Incidentally, I remember the "lifesling" or somesuch was invented after one sailing husband fell overboard, and wife was so panic-struck, she sat in the cockpit unable to do anything till the boat ran aground. Husband drowned. This near Vancouver, I think.

So lads, I think a big lesson here (also surfaced in post about the "frightened wife", is that the Mrs must be shown how to sail, summon help and rescue. Not a job easily done by the husband, methinks- best left to a sailing school.
 
I think your best approach is with a boarding ladder on the transom. No not much use if the victim is unconscious but very good otherwise. It needs to be folded up but easily unfolded into the water from the water.
I tend to swim a lot where my boat is moored (warm water) and frequently board the boat from the water. In lieu of the dinghy.

If you do that a few times you can easily see how the ladder works and how well.

I certainly commend Mike's willingness to try it. This is exactly what all skippers should do. olewill
 
Thanks every one ....lots of aches and pains this morning in unusual places. We had thought to try again with a mal functioned LJ but concluded it would be impossible to manually inflate in rough water. Swimming one handed in full gear would be impossible. Glad to see the water is still warm in Oz .....any stingers about?
 
[ QUOTE ]
I think your best approach is with a boarding ladder on the transom.

[/ QUOTE ] Went through similar excercises as the OP many moons ago, but with 4 males aboard. Even then, completely agree his conclusions.

We concluded that a bathing ladder is an essential piece of sailing safety equipment, especially in cold waters when quick recovery is the issue. And the ladder has to extend with at least 60cm under water, be rigid, and must be able to be deployed by someone in the water.

All these conclusions reached after noting the stats for 'overboards' and trying other options. First, the large majority of 'overboards' are capable of helping themselves; disablement is rare. Second, a significant number of overboards are in harbour or on moorings, transferring from dinghy to boat or vice-versa, often solo, when a clipped harness is not used. And of course, there's the alcohol element . . .

Rope ladders don't work well - fishing for moveable rungs which then swing under the hull requires a lot of agility. Try it. Beam rigid ladders can't be in position all the time - so can't be deployed from within the water. That leaves you with the stern rigid ladder.

Which some dismiss as un-usable and dangerous when the boat is pitching in a seaway. So - don't try to recover someone when you're pitching in a seaway; go beam on.

And some would say never engage gear when someone's in the water near the stern, there's the possibility of serious injury: as serious as hypothermia?

Manay thanks to the OP for testing and reporting. Many theories are put forward on many sailing subjects. Few are tested. Learn to test; then test to learn.
 
Just noticed you have a Folkboat...not dissimilar to our hull shape. I've not found a way of attaching a fixed boarding ladder because of the reverse transom and rudder, hence the next best thing is the long MOB ladder attached to the coachroof midships. Not the easiest to climb, but better than nothing, and if anyone has found a fixed ladder configuration that would work on such a hull, I've love to know.
 
I lost SWMBO between the dinghy and the transom ladder in the dark, at anchor, in cold Scottish waters, a few years ago. She was wearing a life jacket which instantly transformed her into a Michelin woman.- VERY difficult to move/manoevre. We spent a lot of time trying to use the transom ladder, becoming colder and more exhausted by the minute (both of us) Eventually I deflated one half of the dinghy, rolled her in, and from there on it was easy. That was on our previous boat with a high transom - the bottom was 1'6" above the waterline, and a ladder that just reached the waterline. - it was immediately extended. Now we have an even higher transom but there is a platform, with a ladder that extends three rungs underwater, and midships ladder facility for those rough times. And yes we still have a deflatable inflatable at the ready...
Uhah, drink was involved, and there's still a good gold watch and earring on the bottom at Kingscross. The inflated lifejacket -IN THIS INSTANCE - caused more problems than it solved, and has resulted in us not wearing them as often as we should. Perhaps a manual gas job is the answer, if a crash hat is worn as well....
 
Jeez Malc. That never occured to me then, and didn't until you just said so. I just sort of hung with my arm and one leg twisted in the side ropes until I got the strength back to swing myself back aboard. I shall remember that one.

Twas having a stupid day, as also I took my lifejacket off, in order to get back on board.
 
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