MOB strategy for inexperienced crew

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Lifting a casualty up and over guard wires I think makes life more difficult. Why not bolt cropper them? Most boats have a pair. On lots of smaller yachts, laying on the side deck you can almost touch the water. Easier to grab a mob and get a line on them.

Sometimes I use the danbouy to simulate the mob. Getting a crew to lay on the side deck, clipped on, to reach under the guardwires works well.

At least if you got your deserter secured alongside, you got time to think through the next bit and with reduced height to lift them over is a bonus.

You just cut the lashings that were put there for just this purpose, on the after end of the guardwire. Much less expensive, and can be immediately reinstated with a new length of string when the emergency is over.
Releasing the lower guard wire and bringing the casualty in over the gunwale was the way it was taught when I did my courses.

 

[capnsensible]

You just cut the lashings that were put there for just this purpose, on the after end of the guardwire. Much less expensive, and can be immediately reinstated with a new length of string when the emergency is over.
Releasing the lower guard wire and bringing the casualty in over the gunwale was the way it was taught when I did my courses.

If they are lashed.....

 

[Roberto]

This is my recovering an MOB page from my on board manual (not yet updated for my new boat but the principle will be the same)

This is the getting them out bit, not the getting back to them bit.

View attachment 133894

The Offshore Safety Regulations have a couple of very well laid out pages about hypothermia: various levels of danger depending on symptoms and body temperature, and what action to take at each one. I print/laminated them and keep at the chart table.

 

[Laser310]

The assumption in those videos showing the mid-line lift, is that the boat has a life sling, or some similar device.., and that the MOB can get into it.

this solves two of the problems being discussed;

you don't have to approach close to the MOB with the boat - which is dangerous in anything but calm conditions - rather, you circle them trailing the life sling and they grab it and put it on. These are designed so that a person can be hoisted out of the water.

then, using the mid line lift, the spinnaker halyard is easily attached to the life sling line.

the problem is that the length of the life sling line is critical - depends on height to the halyard exit. if it's too long, you won't hoist the MOB high enough. If it is too short, the MOB comes out of the water before they are alongside the boat and can swing into the hull.

The best thing is to practice with a bucket of water or something. Then, put a mark on the life sling line at the appropriate length. Use the full length to get the sling to the MOB, and then take up on a cleat to the mark on the line. Note that the recommendation is to replace the life sling line with something that doesn't stretch, but still floats.

If the MOB is injured or otherwise unable to don the life sling.., you need to figure something else out - coming alongside the MOB where an attempt to attach a line can be made is probably what most boats should do. Race boats often have a dedicated swimmer - someone who can go in (tethered of course) and attach a line to the MOB's harness. In most sailing locations you probably want to have a bag-style drysuit handy for this - the swimmer will only need a minute to put this on and be ready to go in.

 

[capnsensible]

The casing of a submarine has its hazards. When the Casing Party are working, there is a dedicated Swimmer of the Watch in a drybag ready to hurl himself into the jaws of death to rescue his shipmates.

Bit ott for the average cruising yacht though.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

If they are lashed.....

Highly recommended. Also pelican hooks for quick release.

 

[capnsensible]

Highly recommended. Also pelican hooks for quick release.

Totally agree. Surprisingly few do that though. School boats almost always. Private yachts not so much.

Some yachts I sail don't even have chart plotters.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Totally agree. Surprisingly few do that though. School boats almost always. Private yachts not so much.

Some yachts I sail don't even have chart plotters.

Most boats I have sailed on seem to have been either school boats or charters. My own boat is an ex-school boat and when I bought it, didn't have a plotter, just a GPS.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

I am not an instructor just a YM, but it seems a great idea to first launch a danbuoy ideally, but even cockpit cushions, anything light coloured which will float for a few minutes.
There's so much going on, the stressed and overloaded crew will probably lose sight of you, especially after going below to send a DSC distress.
A hand held DSC radio on a bracket the cockpit might help.
But as said above, hands-on practising is best.

Tell them how to do it, show the how to do it, let them do it then demonstrate again.

 

[Kukri]

I think it’s to some extent horses for courses.

When I bought my boat, there was a curious stainless steel pipe work recess in the guard wires on the starboard side of the cockpit. I didn’t know what it was, so I asked in these pages, and was told it was for a Jonbuoy. I bought one (not cheap!) and fitted it, so Step One of MOB drill now is “Hit the Jonbuoy button”, followed by “Hit the MOB button!”

The plotter isn’t at the helm, because the mainsheet track is just ahead of the pedestal, and if the plotter were there, one good accidental gybe would whip it into the drink.

I learned from John Munns in the course of a survey that the mystery black button at the foot of the starboard instrument panel in the steering well was the MOB button for a long defunct B&G system. That might get re-commissioned to go with the current Raymarine stuff.

I am a convert to Duncan Wells’ systems for MOB retrieval using a 6:1 Harken purchase clipped onto a spare halyard, and I carry a MOBMat.

I think the next investment must be PLBs for the crew.

 

[capnsensible]

I think it’s to some extent horses for courses.

When I bought my boat, there was a curious stainless steel pipe work recess in the guard wires on the starboard side of the cockpit. I didn’t know what it was, so I asked in these pages, and was told it was for a Jonbuoy. I bought one (not cheap!) and fitted it, so Step One of MOB drill now is “Hit the Jonbuoy button”, followed by “Hit the MOB button!”

The plotter isn’t at the helm, because the mainsheet track is just ahead of the pedestal, and if the plotter were there, one good accidental gybe would whip it into the drink.

I learned from John Munns in the course of a survey that the mystery black button at the foot of the starboard instrument panel in the steering well was the MOB button for a long defunct B&G system. That might get re-commissioned to go with the current Raymarine stuff.

I am a convert to Duncan Wells’ systems for MOB retrieval using a 6:1 Harken purchase clipped onto a spare halyard, and I carry a MOBMat.

I think the next investment must be PLBs for the crew.

Indeed, a Nic 55 is a big yacht and everything to help a recovery is, in my mind, the seamanlike approach.

Back in the day, I was occasionally Mate on the other JSASTC yachts and mob was always on your mind. The skill of the skippers taught me a lot. Even sailing back to mob. However, 11 other crew helps!

There is another poster who was one of them, mebbe if he sees this he may be able to talk more about them.

 

[Kukri]

Indeed, a Nic 55 is a big yacht and everything to help a recovery is, in my mind, the seamanlike approach.

Back in the day, I was occasionally Mate on the other JSASTC yachts and mob was always on your mind. The skill of the skippers taught me a lot. Even sailing back to mob. However, 11 other crew helps!

There is another poster who was one of them, mebbe if he sees this he may be able to talk more about them.

From the helmsperson’s boat handling point of view she is a pussycat. Well balanced, tacks, gybes, bears away and points up with a spin of the wheel, heaves-to on request, etc. It’s the other stuff that needs a bit of planning! For example, John Morris taught me that you always rig a preventer, so you need to allow the time to release it, etc. Seen from in the water she is dangerous at both ends and unclimbable in the middle…