MOB

[guydickinson]

Some advice please for MOB basic equipment please? I have a horseshoe ring on the pushpit with a lifebuoy light and some rope. I wondered what people think of equipment like the KIM MOB lifesling - as an addition or instead of? Any other favourites? Thanks.

 

[Malcb]

Danbuoy, connected to the horse-shoe buoy, plus a small drogue to stop drifting.

I also carry a couple of long floating throw lines with unweighted monkeys fist knots tied in them.

Also practice the 'crash stop'. As soon as anyone goes overboard, whack the boat into the wind sharpish. It's surprising how close you will still be to any MOB.

OK, I know that won't work for any speeds much above 6 knots or at night, but then the horseshoe buoy won't be a lot of use either, in that case prevention is better than the cure.

 

[LadyInBed]

Keep a waterproof strobe light in a top pocket at night.
Better still, wear a harness and clip on so the MOB doesn't happen.

 

[alan17]

Quote "in that case prevention is better than the cure."

IMHO prevention is always better.

 

[Silverado]

A "crash stop" with a kite up while racing could be interesting. Have you ever had someone overboard?

 

[Malcb]

[ QUOTE ]
A "crash stop" with a kite up while racing could be interesting.[ QUOTE ]


True, but in all the years I was racing as foredeck crew, I have never seen someone go overboard. So maybe I'm lucky.

[ QUOTE ]
Have you ever had someone overboard?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, but not on a yacht

 

[flaming]

[ QUOTE ]
A "crash stop" with a kite up while racing could be interesting. Have you ever had someone overboard?

[/ QUOTE ]

How to crash stop with the kite up. HERE

You might need to create a login, but it's well worth it. Their learning videos are absolutely first rate, if delivered with an American accent!

 

[simonfraser]

put a water proof vhf in with the danboy

 

[Stoaty]

A builders bag with 6 inch hole in the bottom to put your casualty into before you winch them aboard.

 

[webcraft]

Important to think about getting them back on board as well.

Lifesling is designed to lift the casualty on a halliard or boom end.

Parbuckle is another possibility.

We have both, but if the casualty is reasonably OK our no1 plan is to hook the mast ladder onto a bit of string and throw that over the side as a starter for ten.

- W

 

[peterb]

[ QUOTE ]
A builders bag with 6 inch hole in the bottom to put your casualty into before you winch them aboard.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's an interesting idea. A mob could sit in a crouched position, or have knees to chest in a bag like that. Would that be close enough to the horizontal lift usually preferred?

 

[mormargh]

[ QUOTE ]
A builders bag with 6 inch hole in the bottom to put your casualty into before you winch them aboard.

[/ QUOTE ]

Would like to see this tried but think it might have merit. Don't the US Coastguard use some kind of basket to recover casualties from the water?

 

[JamesMum]

When practising, I found the only way to get the Master and Commander back inboard was to use the main halliard winch to heave him up until his shoulders were level with the deck edge, then pull him aft using the sheet winch. He's (only!) about 12 stone, but I couldn't do a straight lift, even with a winch to help.

End of the boom would be a nice idea, but the topping lift arrangement needs to be every bit as strong as the main halliard. Otherwise, you risk it coming down on top of the MOB's head when you try to lift him.

In order to use either of these methods, however, you need to take the mainsail down (as well as jib). Without the sails up, the vessel comes more upright, and you lose the advantage of the boat leaning over towards the casualty.

A "Rolls Royce" system would consist of a second main halliard, led to a separate double-action ST winch: this would give you the power needed to lift the casualty without needing to drop sail, so the vessel remains hove-to throughout.

 

[William_H]

Different circumstances dictate different approaches however.....

First step is to not go overboard by sue of harness with tether short enough to ensure you stay on the boat.

The next priority if a person goes overboard is to maintain bouyancy.
Lifejacket is best but a horseshoe ring would be good if you got it to him in time.

The next priority is to maintain sight of the MOB. Here a danbuoy with flag / strobe light etc are usefull. But a flashlight held by the victim or light on lifejacket or for day time a brightly coloured hat will all help.
( but give priority to a person maintaining visual sight of the victim)

Lastly having got a rope to the victim hopefully conscious and able to help himself you have to get him on board.

I think the first obvious thing is a boarding ladder at the stern. Then depending on the size of the boat (freeboard) you may need a hoist of some sort. If the victim is unconscious then you will probably need someone to get in the water to help.

My experience of MOB has been on a small boat in sheltered water but with spin up. The MOB only occurred because the spin threw the boat over. In those conditions it is very difficult to get spin down.

You might consider freeing the ends of spin, down hauls, sheets and halyard so spin can be jetisoned. Without a spin a sail baot can be stoppedd or turned around PDQ but with a spin it is a slow painfull process. You have to continue on course and get spin down. If you try to turn toward the victim you invariably foul the spin so it won't come down.

So depending on your kind of sailing and size of boat you should consider gear to ahndle these different stages of MOB. olewill

 

[Kawasaki]

I,ve posed the question of retreiving the MOB on The Mobo Forum.
Cos Mobo I am.
Lots of Mobos have quite a high freeboard as you can imagine.
So the best way to collect the Bod is at the stern in most cases, bathing platforms , boarding ladders etc.
Were the prop lives and stern drives and other metal bits unfortunately!
However the Dinghy lives there too in many cases.
So I suggested to peeps that is a good way to collect the overboard.
Deflated side of said rubber duck and haul the 'casualty' in.
Finding a MOB is trickey enough but getting said bod aboard is bloody dam difficult.
I know, I had to do it.
Only the Once but it made Me think hard about the next time
God forbid.
Peeps in Mobos don't do stuff on the decks like you Guys at daft angles in all sorts of Seas but tend to plop in the Oggin whilst boarding from dinghies or stowing fenders or returning from the Pub!
We don't tend to have as much string aboard or know what to do with it as you Guys or booms and lifts and thinghies.
'Parbuckles ,Monkeys Fists, Jacob's whatsits' mostly Double Dutch to Us Guys.
Good ideas for retrieving a Mobower from the Oggin Guys?
OK , OK, No "Leave Him in He's a Stinkie" Jokes before yer start!

 

[spiller]

I am only a beginner, but....

Theory is great, and ideas welcome, useful and potentially life saving, but practice is the answer.

One friend of mine (I'd like to say it was me in this case) runs a practice almost every time out. OK, we have warm water, but you can't beat a well practiced drill and in many situations, you cannot afford the time to collect your thoughts and / or consult the book, or the "committee".
I practice with beer cans, or a fender! but at least I have the manouevering sorted. (fenders do make the exercise more real as they have a value).

Recovery of the victim is another issue, but you always have time to work this out and each situation will present its own circumstances.

The main thing is to be aware of an MOB, not lose sight of him and get back to him. If it is a non swimming child, you have all the ingedients for a major panic and what goes with that ......!
Nominate the "spotter" before going out (and a sub, in case the "spotter" goes over), and the spotter should never be distracted from his role.

 

[spiller]

An easily overlooked issue. The skipper going OB.

You should always ensure that someone onboard knows what to do if you go overboard. Gargled instructions from a rapidly diminishing dot in the ocean don't work!

At the least, understanding and practising an emergency stop would "neutralise" the situation.

Get the wife to toss you off occasionally!

 

[saltwater_gypsy]

I think that the order of importance for lifejacket wearing MOB recovery is:
(1) Lifebuoy with light if only to mark MOB location (dan buoy if poss.)
(2) MOB position on chartplotter
(3) Lifesling or similar the get MOB reconnected to the boat.
(4) Means of recovery including ladder, lifting gear etc.( this is perhaps the most difficult part)

I made a post earlier to get input on MOB experiences. There were lots of useful comments but only two cases of actual MOB, one of which had an element of comedy and in the other , the lifeline kept MOB attached to the boat.

 

[jimbaerselman]

[ QUOTE ]
Peeps in Mobos don't do stuff on the decks like you Guys at daft angles in all sorts of Seas but tend to plop in the Oggin whilst boarding from dinghies or stowing fenders or returning from the Pub! We don't tend to have as much string aboard or know what to do with it as you Guys or booms and lifts and thinghies.

[/ QUOTE ] Good sense here. It's similar with sailboats; people tend to clip on when the boat's heaving and jumping. It's climbing on and off, and wandering around at anchor when a sudden wave (we won't go into where it came from!) rocks the boat, that's when sailors go for inadvertent swims. Even having a pee in light weather . . .

So the first 'get aboard' tool should always be the rigid stern ladder, that goes 1m below the surface, that can be lowered by the person in the water.

By all means add parbuckles, pulleys off the boom end, all that stuff. Fine if you have a bigger crew; very difficult when only two up, especially if it's a lighter person heaving a heavy one aboard. Even more difficult when you were the only person aboard . . .

 

[peterb]

"Nominate a pointer"
"Skipper going overboard"

What happens if it's a husband and wife crew? One has gone OB, leaving the other to do everything. It's difficult to do all that's required if you're having to point as well.

The primary objective has to be to regain contact. Quick-stop manoeuvres should stop the boat within easy sight. Haul the main in hard, so that gybes won't cause problems, and there is little drive from the sail. Get rid of the foresail. Get any trailing lines out of the water. Start the engine. Drive a little way downwind, on what would be a broad reach. Round up and tack, and if you've judged it properly the man should be cross-wind from you. Drive up to him, leaving him on the lee side and missing him by about 4-5 feet. As the bow comes level with him, put the engine astern gently, then increase revs to bring the boat to a stop with the man level with the front of the cockpit. Keep him in that position by using judicious amounts of ahead or astern on the engine. The boat will move sideways until the man is in easy reach. Surprisingly, perhaps, most boats will stay in this position long enough for the helmsman to leave the helm and to get a rope to the man in the water. Try it.

And practice, practice, practice.