MOB - best sequence of steps with one person left aboard

lw395 said:
No question the dan buoy goes over the side first and foremost. No thinking, no options just do it immediately.
Actions beyond that might vary according to circumstances.
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Well its quite a big question actually. Why would you want the danbouy a long way from the person in the water when you could simply have stopped, nipped back and almost given it to them?
 
capnsensible said:
Well its quite a big question actually. Why would you want the danbouy a long way from the person in the water when you could simply have stopped, nipped back and almost given it to them?
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When push comes to shove, most crews are bollox at 'stop and nip back'

The system we use is that the Danbuoy goes over the side ASAP. Like RORC rules, it must be able to be chucked from the helm in seconds. So, if you get it half way right, the MOB can swim to it.
Because you do this before altering course, you know the casualty is on your reciprocal from the danbuoy.
When I go offshore on a new boat, the danbuoy gets checked. Is it good to go? Drogue? Light? Tangled? A lot of boats are frankly pathetic. All the toys, nothing sorted.
So the yacht and MOB rendezvous at the danbuoy or you know where the MOB is from that point.

Once you start turning, dropping sails, starting engiens, making radio calls it is very easy to be 100m off up or down wind.
If you sail back to the MOB, they don't want a danbuoy, they want a recovery device. Seattle sling is my preferred.

It's not the only way, but it is a coherent plan. I've sailed with a lot of people on random boats and I'd not trust anything different, particularly at night.
I've heard some alternative theories in my time that make PLBs seem a very, very good idea.
But a PLB is not much use if the helm can't home in on it from the tiller.
 
lw395 said:
When push comes to shove, most crews are bollox at 'stop and nip back'

The system we use is that the Danbuoy goes over the side ASAP. Like RORC rules, it must be able to be chucked from the helm in seconds. So, if you get it half way right, the MOB can swim to it.
Because you do this before altering course, you know the casualty is on your reciprocal from the danbuoy.
When I go offshore on a new boat, the danbuoy gets checked. Is it good to go? Drogue? Light? Tangled? A lot of boats are frankly pathetic. All the toys, nothing sorted.
So the yacht and MOB rendezvous at the danbuoy or you know where the MOB is from that point.

Once you start turning, dropping sails, starting engiens, making radio calls it is very easy to be 100m off up or down wind.
If you sail back to the MOB, they don't want a danbuoy, they want a recovery device. Seattle sling is my preferred.

It's not the only way, but it is a coherent plan. I've sailed with a lot of people on random boats and I'd not trust anything different, particularly at night.
I've heard some alternative theories in my time that make PLBs seem a very, very good idea.
But a PLB is not much use if the helm can't home in on it from the tiller.
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Well all I can answer with is, again, the 6 or 7 thousand times worth of practice runs reveals that 'stop the boat' is by far the best first move.

Worked three times this afternoon...... :encouragement:
 
JumbleDuck said:
You make the assumption that the remaining member(s) of the crew can take immediate action. All lovely if everyone is in the cockpit; not quite so good if the other crew member is in the toilet when they hear a splash.
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Just want to emphasise, the crash stop I describe above (post #96) can be done immediately, and single handed: it only requires that someone get to the helm if they're not there already.

Anyone who is alone in the cockpit for any length of time should be clipped on ...
 
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Barnacle Bill said:
Just want to emphasise, the crash stop I describe above (post #96) can be done immediately, and single handed: it only requires that someone get to the helm if they're not there already.

Anyone who is alone in the cockpit for any length of time should be clipped on ...
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No-one seems to want to listen to good advice on a system that works.
 
JumbleDuck said:
Press the big red button, flip the switch, pray. The best that can be hoped for, I think, is to keep the MOB alongside the boat until help arrives, but ten to one he's dead.
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Poey50 said:
Interesting answers on the other MOB thread - thank you.

Here's my follow-up question. With only one person left aboard what is the most efficient set of steps to follow to have the greatest chance of a good outcome to an MOB?

For argument's sake assume a 32 foot boat, reasonably competent wife, dan buoy + horseshoe buoy + drogue + light, throwing line, 6:1 handy billy, MOB not unconscious and wearing lifejacket, summer UK coast sea temperatures, Force 5, both sails up at time of MOB, DSC radio, daylight, easy-ish to launch life raft , easy to start engine, no other boats nearby.

Asking for a friend. :nonchalance:
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Haven't read every reply, so apols if this has been said.

In this scenario its F5 so we can assume the boat is clipping along nicely. At 7 kts you will do approximately 100m in 30 seconds. Seeing anybody in the sea at the range is very difficult so the priority has to be stopping the boat, after hitting the MoB button if you have one. To that end I always make sure that my crew is on the helm and autohelm disconnected whenever I leave the cockpit.

I'm also sceptical that you can keep an eye on the MoB whilst fiddling about with sails etc so if you can get close with the engine and sails up get a danbuoy close to them, both drift drift in the roughly same direction at roughly the same rate. This should make any search a bit easier.

For me the next priority is summoning help. Everything I've seen and read makes it clear that getting a casualty back on board is extremely difficult even for a strong man, so without being too condescending will the average woman be able to cope. In this scenario its summer so we have a bit more time so contact the emergency services before the casualty starts to get exposure.

Everything else depends on your boat, I have a bathing platform and have attached a line to it so it can be deployed from the water, although I haven't tested it under stress.

But of course we are all safety conscious and so clip on whenever leaving the cockpit with a tether that means we don't end up over the side. I have a centre line to clip on to and if its rough wear or going to bow have 2 safety lines (note to self, get on of those special ones). But for added safety if I'm with my wife is with me I stop the boat before leaving the cockpit if I can.
 
capnsensible said:
If you put the danbouy next to the casualty you got the best datum this side of the black stump. For all those who dont believe, just try it a few times. :encouragement:
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If the MOB is in sight? absolutely:)

If you are down bellow and have lost sight of the MOB? Its a different situation. You now have to start searching.
If the timeframe was short, you may get lucky and be able to sail back down your wake. or you may not.
 
Uricanejack said:
If the MOB is in sight? absolutely:)

If you are down bellow and have lost sight of the MOB? Its a different situation. You now have to start searching.
If the timeframe was short, you may get lucky and be able to sail back down your wake. or you may not.
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That's would be my nightmare - then I would hit MOB on GPS just before danbouy but in that situation they could be a mile away. We have a rule (which can get rather annoying if you want to fix a loose rope or take a reef out) that if one person is down below the other cannot leave the cockpit under any circumstances without calling the person up first. Or ever pee over the side etc.

In all other circumstances it's life belt & light first then start doing the tasks to get back to the life belt.
 
Uricanejack said:
If the MOB is in sight? absolutely:)

If you are down bellow and have lost sight of the MOB? Its a different situation. You now have to start searching.
If the timeframe was short, you may get lucky and be able to sail back down your wake. or you may not.
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If you have lost sight then it must be Mayday first - get as much help as possible as quickly as possible.

These days GPS is so accurate that you should be able to retrace your ground track pretty accurately. I wonder if any GPSs have a "retrace path" function to control the autopilot
 
bedouin said:
If you have lost sight then it must be Mayday first - get as much help as possible as quickly as possible.

These days GPS is so accurate that you should be able to retrace your ground track pretty accurately. I wonder if any GPSs have a "retrace path" function to control the autopilot
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Agree on Mayday but on GPS if there is a current or tide running then unless you are pretty nifty at calculations then retracing your ground track can't help much - just 5 minutes of a 1.5 knot current will put them a long way out of sight.
 
bedouin said:
I seem to remember being taught to deploy the danbuoy on top of the casualty as you reached back.
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If you have got back to the casualty, you no longer need a danbuoy?
In fact it would be a menace.
A proper racing danbuoy has a drogue and floating rope. You don't want to be dropping that when you aspire to be using your engine at close quarters.
It's not the only nonsense that's taught by sailing schools in the self-perpetuating RYA system.
 
RupertW said:
Agree on Mayday but on GPS if there is a current or tide running then unless you are pretty nifty at calculations then retracing your ground track can't help much - just 5 minutes of a 1.5 knot current will put them a long way out of sight.
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Which is why a danbuoy dropped in the tide ASAP is useful. It gives you a postition line. Reciprocal of initial heading from the danbuoy remains valid so long as you are all in the same tide.
 
lw395 said:
If you have got back to the casualty, you no longer need a danbuoy?
In fact it would be a menace.
A proper racing danbuoy has a drogue and floating rope. You don't want to be dropping that when you aspire to be using your engine at close quarters.
It's not the only nonsense that's taught by sailing schools in the self-perpetuating RYA system.
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In the 'panic' mode, if you haven't stopped the boat quickly & cannot see the MOB, it can get very confusing, so perhaps then, some marker will aid orientation/direction.
 
alant said:
In the 'panic' mode, if you haven't stopped the boat quickly & cannot see the MOB, it can get very confusing, so perhaps then, some marker will aid orientation/direction.
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Get the danbuoy with its light and horsehoe over the side immediately, before panic has a chance to set in!
 
lw395 said:
Get the danbuoy with its light and horsehoe over the side immediately, before panic has a chance to set in!
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Of course, but if you don't (perhaps because after all the practice you still stop/turn the boat instinctively back) then I can understand dropping the lifebeld/light/danbouy if you find yourself going past the MOB close but can't stop immediately perhaps because sails still up. Then at least you are unlikely to lose the MOB while sorting things out.

But you're right - first instinct should be drop the marker.
 
RupertW said:
Of course, but if you don't (perhaps because after all the practice you still stop/turn the boat instinctively back) then I can understand dropping the lifebeld/light/danbouy if you find yourself going past the MOB close but can't stop immediately perhaps because sails still up. Then at least you are unlikely to lose the MOB while sorting things out.

But you're right - first instinct should be drop the marker.
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First instinct should be not to sail the boat away from the MOB, the danbuoy is secondary.
See my earlier posts. At 5 knts, you will be 154 metres away in one minute. As an excercise, practice being down below, moving to the back of the boat, actually deploy stuff from pushpit & then check time taken. In anything other than reasonably flat water, would you be able to see the MOB? How many helmsman have almost hit a well marked fishing pot, so would you easily spot a danbuoy? Yes, you might say, whilst practicing in the sheltered waters of the Solent, but would it be the same mid channel?
 
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