Recovering from falling overboard when single handed

[Buck Turgidson]

NKE autopilots as used on the mini transat have this function based on distance from the remote . I saw a demo some years ago but don’t remember if it hove too or sailed in a circle

 

[rogerthebodger]

What you need is a way of instantly stopping the boat when you fall over board....like a sail kill cord...explosive devices in the winches for example

Or just a way of putting the helm hard over the side of the tack you are on.

I did see a setup some years ago in PBO when I lived in the UK but never was developed.

I have hydraulic steering with a pump for autopilot so all I need to do is determine which tack I am on and turn the helm that way when I MOB crew saver detects a MOB

 

[Daydream believer]

What you need is a way of instantly stopping the boat when you fall over board....like a sail kill cord...explosive devices in the winches for example

Have a word with the Mossad. They seem pretty good at explosive devices. But just do not try to operate the PLB at the same time as you might blow half of Falmouth into kingdom come

 

[Bouba]

Have a word with the Mossad. They seem pretty good at explosive devices. But just do not try to operate the PLB at the same time as you might blow half of Falmouth into kingdom come

There’s a few in your car right now...ready to detonate and save your life

 

[Bouba]

Ok....how about Velcro gloves for the lone yachtsman

 

[Daydream believer]

Ok....how about Velcro gloves for the lone yachtsman

No good. They would stick to my fly velcro on my trousers & I would end up playing with myself all day, .

 

[Bouba]

No good. They would stick to my fly velcro on my trousers & I would end up playing with myself all day, .

Sorry !.... I forgot you were a yachtsman

 

[Daydream believer]

Sorry !.... I forgot you were a yachtsman

Single handed at that

 

[Juan Twothree]

Radiobeacon to the rescue for man overboard ‘in a flash’

 

[Boathook]

My lifejacket has a plb attached to it but having read this thread I'm wondering about a handheld vhf with dsc as I sail single and short handed quite a bit. Big problem is where to put the handheld as I don't want it hanging round my neck. Possibly need to try various locations for the vhf with the inflated lifejacket fitted.

I've got a swimming ladder and quite a few years ago extended it so it went further into the water when in use. I can release it fairly easily but will see if I can make it easier. This assumes that I'm by the stern of the boat.

 

[Roberto]

My lifejacket has a plb attached to it but having read this thread I'm wondering about a handheld vhf with dsc as I sail single and short handed quite a bit. Big problem is where to put the handheld as I don't want it hanging round my neck. Possibly need to try various locations for the vhf with the inflated lifejacket fitted.

That's what I use while coastal sailing, there are usually boats around so I clip the DSC VHF to the lifejacket belt; in particular when approaching marinas/anchorages or maneuvering for fenders, anchor, mainsail, mooring ropes etc when with all that traffic it would be unfeasible to be tethered all the time. PLB only offshore or if coastal with very few boats.

 

[Daydream believer]

That's what I use while coastal sailing, there are usually boats around so I clip the DSC VHF to the lifejacket belt; in particular when approaching marinas/anchorages or maneuvering for fenders, anchor, mainsail, mooring ropes etc when with all that traffic it would be unfeasible to be tethered all the time. PLB only offshore or if coastal with very few boats.

I do not get that comment. It is quite easy to remain tethered & I would respectfully suggest that the operations you suggest are the ones where you NEED to be so fixed to the boat. As for only having a PLB where there are very few boats; I would suggest that there could be quite a few boats around, racing etc. who would have no idea of one's predicament.
I keep my PLB permanentlyattached to my LJ in a Spinnlock wallet with some mini flares. The hand held VHF can go in the inner pocket of my jacket
But to each his own & it is only my view- Having been over the side (with none of the above)

 

[Dutch01527]

I carry a plb and knife in the pocket if my life jacket. I also have a pull down ladder attached to the boarding ladder steps.

I also assume that if I fall overboard when at sea single handed I am dead despite the above.

 

[Daydream believer]

I carry a plb and knife in the pocket if my life jacket. I also have a pull down ladder attached to the boarding ladder steps.

I also assume that if I fall overboard when at sea single handed I am dead despite the above.

You assume that you would be dead, But before going on deck, why not slow the boat down to a crawl or heave too. It is amazing how forumites think that they want to fall in at 6kts & die immediately (as if their boats would do 6kts. I suppose it would be some last gasp macho way to go) . Why not give yourself a chance to splash about & die slowly. You might actually just get to the stern- Then drown.
'
I assume that the knife is to cut the harness line. But have you tried it on a piece of webbing?
A magazine included a test of cutting implements attached to LJs, as such items should already be included. The Spinnlock one came out low on the list so I practiced on some webbing & quickly found it to be very efficient. Plus it will not stab my LJ. Hardest thing would be finding it in its pocket in the LJ. Similarly you would have to remember what pocket your knife was in .
I carry a knife in my trouser pocket but it would be useless with my waterproofs over the top. I could not get to it & it will not cut webbing easily.
.
Another problem is that my Ocean PLB does not float. Something I only found out a year after I bought it when idely reading the instructions. So the minute I start to faint or my hands sink below the water the PLB wil fail. I have to carry a separate LJ just for the PLB which is far from practical & would not keep the aerial vertical anyway. So beware of pointless pieces of junk

 

[Boathook]

You assume that you would be dead, But before going on deck, why not slow the boat down to a crawl or heave too. It is amazing how forumites think that they want to fall in at 6kts & die immediately (as if their boats would do 6kts. I suppose it would be some last gasp macho way to go) . Why not give yourself a chance to splash about & die slowly. You might actually just get to the stern- Then drown.
'
I assume that the knife is to cut the harness line. But have you tried it on a piece of webbing?
A magazine included a test of cutting implements attached to LJs, as such items should already be included. The Spinnlock one came out low on the list so I practiced on some webbing & quickly found it to be very efficient. Plus it will not stab my LJ. Hardest thing would be finding it in its pocket in the LJ. Similarly you would have to remember what pocket your knife was in .
I carry a knife in my trouser pocket but it would be useless with my waterproofs over the top. I could not get to it & it will not cut webbing easily.
.
Another problem is that my Ocean PLB does not float. Something I only found out a year after I bought it when idely reading the instructions. So the minute I start to faint or my hands sink below the water the PLB wil fail. I have to carry a separate LJ just for the PLB which is far from practical & would not keep the aerial vertical anyway. So beware of pointless pieces of junk

My ocean PLB is attached to my lifejacket by the cord provided. It also came with a little pouch for it to fit in to keep it afloat but this adds quite a bit of bulk to it so I don't use it.

 

[Daydream believer]

My ocean PLB is attached to my lifejacket by the cord provided. It also came with a little pouch for it to fit in to keep it afloat but this adds quite a bit of bulk to it so I don't use it.

So you are like me. Once you lose consiousness & let the PLB sink it will no longer work & it takes longer to find the body.
Of course a decent LJ will keep a body afloat & being unconsious does not mean that you are immediately dead. You could have up to another 10-20 minutes for a recovery vessel to find you, IF the PLB was still active. So that is survival time lost by an inactive PLB. A design fault in my mind.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

You assume that you would be dead, But before going on deck, why not slow the boat down to a crawl or heave too. It is amazing how forumites think that they want to fall in at 6kts & die immediately (as if their boats would do 6kts. I suppose it would be some last gasp macho way to go) . Why not give yourself a chance to splash about & die slowly. You might actually just get to the stern- Then drown.
'

Even a boat that is hove-to will be making a knot or two through the water. Given the impediments of clothing and lifejacket, there's no way I could swim at even 1 knot. So for practical purposes, there's no difference between a boat travelling at 6kt and one hove-to - they're both travelling faster than you can swim. When I was a LOT fitter than I am now, I could swim at about 1 kt (I'm a slow but steady swimmer). But even Olympic 50m Freestyle swimmers only do around 5kt; for a very short time!

 

[Mark-1]

That's what I use while coastal sailing, there are usually boats around so I clip the DSC VHF to the lifejacket belt;

That's my current 'strategy'. VHF and a basic large button mobile phone.

There's too much conflicting information about PLBs to be sure and three bits of kit is just impractical.

There was an article on FB this morning where a PLB triggered a succesful rescue but no indication of the time it took to reach the guy and if that time was typical or in any way guaranteed.

I keep meaning to investigate other emergency comms kit that seems to solve the problems of PLBs. Garmin InReach?

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Having seen a poor RNLI fellow hit on the head by our boarding ladder while assisting our crabpot disentangling in a mere F3/F4 and only surviving unscathed due to very effective crash helmet, I think the last place I would wish to board the boat is from the stern unless at anchor in a sheltered harbour.

As I am actually most likely to fall overboard while moving at about 4kts in moderate sea, swimming after the boat is impossible and boarding by stern if tethered exchanges drowning for traumatic head injury.

I use lifelines except in harbour and carry plb in my jacket pocket. If in company I might survive, if solo I quite likely wont but it does at least help the odds

 

[Dutch01527]

You assume that you would be dead, But before going on deck, why not slow the boat down to a crawl or heave too. It is amazing how forumites think that they want to fall in at 6kts & die immediately (as if their boats would do 6kts. I suppose it would be some last gasp macho way to go) . Why not give yourself a chance to splash about & die slowly. You might actually just get to the stern- Then drown.
'
I assume that the knife is to cut the harness line. But have you tried it on a piece of webbing?
A magazine included a test of cutting implements attached to LJs, as such items should already be included. The Spinnlock one came out low on the list so I practiced on some webbing & quickly found it to be very efficient. Plus it will not stab my LJ. Hardest thing would be finding it in its pocket in the LJ. Similarly you would have to remember what pocket your knife was in .
I carry a knife in my trouser pocket but it would be useless with my waterproofs over the top. I could not get to it & it will not cut webbing easily.
.
Another problem is that my Ocean PLB does not float. Something I only found out a year after I bought it when idely reading the instructions. So the minute I start to faint or my hands sink below the water the PLB wil fail. I have to carry a separate LJ just for the PLB which is far from practical & would not keep the aerial vertical anyway. So beware of pointless pieces of junk

Not sure where you get the impression that I am clambering about the deck at 6 knots. On the few occasions that I have had to go on deck, when single handed and at sea, it has been to fix a problem that prevented me furling the jib. Dead slow into the wind on auto pilot. I am hooked on to the boat at the bow. However, I was knocked overboard that would not help much and the chances of cutting myself free, grabbing the stern ladder and dragging myself back onboard are very low imho. Better to assume that you will die in those circumstances than be over confident of self rescue. Helps concentrate the mind on staying onboard

Knife is a serrated divers knife with a rounded end on a fixed lanyard tied to the LJ. It will cut webbing or line easily.