Report finds almost half of man-overboard cases result in death

[Chiara’s slave]

We have very low freeboard and a water accessible swim ladder. MOB recovery for us is an over long spinnaker halyard, long enough to reach the water and get 3 turns and a tail on a winch. We don’t clip on often during daylight, but always at night unless motoring in a calm. Not sure what more we can do, tbh.

 

[bedouin]

For those who do use tethers and jack stays where does the tether connect to your harness at the front or at the back and is there any advantages or disadvantages in each

I do have my own view

Front of course - you need to be able to release yourself from it with the tether under strain.

 

[jlavery]

I was coding a yacht and the MCA surveyor wanted to see a video of the MOB recovery kit in use (from pontoon or dinghy), not at sea. Our method was a waste of time unless you could walk on water. As a result I bought MOB Lifesavers for all my lifjackets and the recovery kit.

The Lifesavers work a treat, they solve the issue of securing a MOB to the vessel once along side, with only a boat hook. The Recovery kit is a piece of cake to use, less than a minute to rig if stored correctly and can be used by one person to lift the casualty horizontally and be guided over the guard rail and laid down. I am big and fat, my lightweight partner, single handed, can recover me from the water. Pulling a MOB out the water by attaching to the MOB Lifesaver, is to say the least, a dawdle.

MOB Lifesavers | MOB Retrieval for lifejackets I have no association with this company.

The recover kit can likely be substituted for a halyard but short handed that may be an issue.

Good reminder. I need to get Lifesavers and their sling.

 

[Adios]

Front of course - you need to be able to release yourself from it with the tether under strain.

Why is that?

 

[rogerthebodger]

Front of course - you need to be able to release yourself from it with the tether under strain.

Yes but the issue is if you are unconscious and cannot release yourself.

My boat has a low freeboard for a 50 ft boat and I use a spinnaker boom and halyard to lift my dingy on to my foredeck

I also have an engine crane at the port stern close to my cockpit winch that could be used to lift some one back on board without too much effort.

I also have a taga with blocks for lifting my dingy over night that also uses my cockpit winches that could also be used if the dingy is not on my stern.

these are just 3 of the ways to get someone back on board.

The only issue is attaching the snap shackle onto the harness. if the MOB is unconscious.

I also have ladders that can be attached to allow the MOB to climb back on board.

 

[DownWest]

Why is that?

The MOB I mentioned early in the Irish sea. Due to equipment failure they could not slow the boat down, so the towed crew was drowning. She ditched the LJ and the harness and took her chances. Another boat heard the mayday, realised they were close and managed to find her a couple of hours later. Not able to recover her, they highlighted her with a spotlight, so the Helio could fish her out. Remarkable effort.

 

[Adios]

The MOB I mentioned early in the Irish sea. Due to equipment failure they could not slow the boat down, so the towed crew was drowning. She ditched the LJ and the harness and took her chances. Another boat heard the mayday, realised they were close and managed to find her a couple of hours later. Not able to recover her, they highlighted her with a spotlight, so the Helio could fish her out. Remarkable effort.

So because she had the tether on she had to ditch her lifejacket? I've never seen any type of tether clip or carabineer that can be undone when under a steady tension. She was lucky to be able to get out of her LJ as well. They have always seemed a menace on deck and they are clearly a menace off deck if not set up right and you can still go over.

Why they are still so often set up wrong is a source of mystery so I started another thread on that. Jack stays and tethers are used too often in calm weather

 

[bedouin]

Why is that?

If you go overboard from a moving boat you may need to be able to release the tether or you will be dragged underwater and drowned

 

[Adios]

If you go overboard from a moving boat you may need to be able to release the tether or you will be dragged underwater and drowned

It shouldn't be possible to go over the side and I don't think you'd be able to release it anyway. The lady DownWest is mentioning had to ditch her whole lifejacket just to get off the tether. Its all a bit wrong.

 

[bedouin]

It shouldn't be possible to go over the side and I don't think you'd be able to release it anyway. The lady DownWest is mentioning had to ditch her whole lifejacket just to get off the tether. Its all a bit wrong

There is no way to set up stays and tethers to eliminate any possibility of going over the side and if you try to keep the tether short (usually a good idea of course) you are at greater risk of getting caught held hard against the hull should you go overboard.

I responded to the question as to whether the attachment should be to the back or front of the harness and the answer is it has to be the front (except for small children).

Some LJs now come with a built in knife explicitly for cutting the tether.

 

[Adios]

Some LJs now come with a built in knife explicitly for cutting the tether.

Do you not see the joke/paradox in that

 

[Adios]

There is no way to set up stays and tethers to eliminate any possibility of going over the side and if you try to keep the tether short (usually a good idea of course) you are at greater risk of getting caught held hard against the hull should you go overboard.

Some tips for set up here How to stay on deck and avoid MOB - Yachting Monthly

 

[bedouin]

Do you not see the joke/paradox in that

This is a matter of life and death - and you see it as a joke.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

There is no way to set up stays and tethers to eliminate any possibility of going over the side and if you try to keep the tether short (usually a good idea of course) you are at greater risk of getting caught held hard against the hull should you go overboard.

I responded to the question as to whether the attachment should be to the back or front of the harness and the answer is it has to be the front (except for small children).

Some LJs now come with a built in knife explicitly for cutting the tether.

I cannot fall overboard if clipped on. That’s the whole idea surely.

 

[Adios]

This is a matter of life and death - and you see it as a joke.

If the life jacket needs a knife to cut yourself free from the tether then the idea that a tether is a safety feature, in the configuration that allowed you to be put in a position where a knife is needed to save your life from the tether, is a joke.

 

[bedouin]

Some tips for set up here How to stay on deck and avoid MOB - Yachting Monthly

That is pretty much nonsense. Once you are forward of the mast there is not a great deal of difference between clipping on to the weather stay and a centre mounted one and there is simply no attachment point that can give you the movement to change the headsail without being able to go into the water - particularly if the boat is heeling

 

[bedouin]

I cannot fall overboard if clipped on. That’s the whole idea surely.

Tell me how you manage that then when you are working at the bow. Often when changing a headsail the toe rail is pretty much underwater - I cannot think of any arrangement of stays and tethers that gives you the freedom of movement to change the headsail and can guarantee to prevent you going overboard.

 

[Adios]

That is pretty much nonsense. Once you are forward of the mast there is not a great deal of difference between clipping on to the weather stay and a centre mounted one and there is simply no attachment point that can give you the movement to change the headsail without being able to go into the water - particularly if the boat is heeling

I disagree really. Depends a bit how fine your bow is but a secure point in the middle of the foredeck that allows you to get to the headsail with the right length tether could be short enough to stop you going over. But that is the hardest part of the boat to get right which is probably why they recommend netting on the guard rails but that won't look slick enough for most people

But if you're sure you can't be prevented going over then the question is are you better of tethered hanging off the bow being dunked every few seconds, or floating free for the crew to come around and pick you up.

 

[bedouin]

I disagree really. Depends a bit how fine your bow is but a secure point in the middle of the foredeck that allows you to get to the headsail with the right length tether could be short enough to stop you going over. But that is the hardest part of the boat to get right which is probably why they recommend netting on the guard rails but that won't look slick enough for most people

But if you're sure you can't be prevented going over then the question is are you better of tethered hanging off the bow being dunked every few seconds, or floating free for the crew to come around and pick you up.

Such a point would require a tether of at least 6' and with the boat heeled over it would only be 2-3 feet from the water.

If you do go overboard it is almost always better to stay attached to the boat but there are circumstances in which you have to cut the tether or risk being drowned - it has happened more than once.

 

[Adios]

Such a point would require a tether of at least 6' and with the boat heeled over it would only be 2-3 feet from the water.

If you do go overboard it is almost always better to stay attached to the boat but there are circumstances in which you have to cut the tether or risk being drowned - it has happened more than once.

Yes the bow is a problem. Hence netting. But you think there are times where its safe to be towed by a short leash? I guess at anchor it would be ok to fall over while tethered...

Illuminating video here Is it safe to use a tether? - Practical Boat Owner