Single handed MOB drill

[jwilson]

The OP is talking about 1+1 on a charter boat: almost certainly a modern fin and spade type. The classic "crash stop" of tack immediately without touching headsail sheet may or may not work. Neither I nor two others on board, both YM Examiners, could do it on one racy 45-footer, even if you used the engine fwd and reverse to help. On some boats it can and does work though. With same people practiced it again on older long-keeler, with minor adjustment (waiting a few seconds before tacking) it worked beautifully, often didn't even need to start engine.

The suggested wheel hard over to tack and sheet in mainsheet option will keep most modern fin-keelers in a possibly quite violent endless tack/gybe loop reasonably close to the MOB, but with one inexperienced person left on board what do they do next, unless by pure luck the MOB can grab the transom on one of it's circles. In any wind the person left aboard will be struggling to keep balance and an eye on the MOB.

Given the OP's scenario, I'd say getting danbuoy and anything floatable in the water first, then roll up genoa and drop main on deck, then start engine, might be the best option to get back to MOB safely.

In the Med definitely press MOB button on plotter: I'm not entirely sure it's that valuable in a tideway. I don't think any plotter software is smart enough to calculate/estimate tide and steadily move the MOB mark position to compensate.

If MOB fit and conscious you have a chance. It unfit and/or unconscious one inexperienced person aboard has effectively zero chance. Even if person left aboard singlehanded very experienced, very very difficult indeed to retrieve an unconscious person except in really benign conditions.

 

[rogerthebodger]

Exactly, spin the wheel & keep it right over. Of course the boat will gybe, but centering the mainsail/boom stops any scything heads off/damage. The boat will lurch a little, but continue to turn in a circle, not leaving the vicinity of the MoB.
I notice your "do this drill" has replaced teach her how to handle sails.

That's exactly what happens with my boat and I have tried it several times. I do have an advantage in this situation that having hydraulic steering once the help is over you can leave it and do other things like throw the dan buoy/life ring/floating line or try to start the engine or get ladder/halyard ready.

My boom is high so unlikely to take anyones head off and if it damages itself so what it only money.

 

[RJJ]

Exactly, spin the wheel & keep it right over. Of course the boat will gybe, but centering the mainsail/boom stops any scything heads off/damage. The boat will lurch a little, but continue to turn in a circle, not leaving the vicinity of the MoB.
I notice your "do this drill" has replaced teach her how to handle sails.

If I understand correctly, you are saying tack/gybe with boat going round in circles. My observations: this won't always work, and even if it does I don't believe it has the desired effect (and yes I have tried it).

Will it always work? No; first mate might struggle to haul the main in tight enough (heaps of wind, remember) to gybe safely; the boat might scream off on a reach and/or broach back up to windward, in either case sailing away from the casualty.

Will it have the desired effect? You have rightly described "a lurch" in each gybe...at best, doesn't sound like a stable platform that allows first mate to stay calm and enables first mate to proceed to next steps. At worst, she falls over too and then you're really stuffed. My boat, gybing round hard with the main pinned in and no counter-steer, would likely heel to 40 or 50 degrees.

That's why I teach crew to heave to properly. In all conditions. I believe that's the only way to create a safe environment and proceed to complete phases 2/3 of the operation. Until first mate can do that, I assume the only thing in my armoury is phase 1 (avoidance).

My advice to the OP anyway is try a few of these options with the first mate; talk it through as you do so; decide what works for you both. Enjoy.

 

[scotty123]

The OP is talking about 1+1 on a charter boat: almost certainly a modern fin and spade type. The classic "crash stop" of tack immediately without touching headsail sheet may or may not work. Neither I nor two others on board, both YM Examiners, could do it on one racy 45-footer, even if you used the engine fwd and reverse to help. On some boats it can and does work though. With same people practiced it again on older long-keeler, with minor adjustment (waiting a few seconds before tacking) it worked beautifully, often didn't even need to start engine.

The suggested wheel hard over to tack and sheet in mainsheet option will keep most modern fin-keelers in a possibly quite violent endless tack/gybe loop reasonably close to the MOB, but with one inexperienced person left on board what do they do next, unless by pure luck the MOB can grab the transom on one of it's circles. In any wind the person left aboard will be struggling to keep balance and an eye on the MOB.

Given the OP's scenario, I'd say getting danbuoy and anything floatable in the water first, then roll up genoa and drop main on deck, then start engine, might be the best option to get back to MOB safely.

In the Med definitely press MOB button on plotter: I'm not entirely sure it's that valuable in a tideway. I don't think any plotter software is smart enough to calculate/estimate tide and steadily move the MOB mark position to compensate.

If MOB fit and conscious you have a chance. It unfit and/or unconscious one inexperienced person aboard has effectively zero chance. Even if person left aboard singlehanded very experienced, very very difficult indeed to retrieve an unconscious person except in really benign conditions.

Read the OP, there is but one very inexperienced person left on board & you expect them to roll up the genoa, drop the mainsail & also start the engine, then drive back to MoB?
The "what they do next" is relatively simple in comparison, throw a line, throw anything, but as for sail dropping & fiddling with a genoa, that really is a step too far.

 

[scotty123]

If I understand correctly, you are saying tack/gybe with boat going round in circles. My observations: this won't always work, and even if it does I don't believe it has the desired effect (and yes I have tried it).

Will it always work? No; first mate might struggle to haul the main in tight enough (heaps of wind, remember) to gybe safely; the boat might scream off on a reach and/or broach back up to windward, in either case sailing away from the casualty.

Will it have the desired effect? You have rightly described "a lurch" in each gybe...at best, doesn't sound like a stable platform that allows first mate to stay calm and enables first mate to proceed to next steps. At worst, she falls over too and then you're really stuffed. My boat, gybing round hard with the main pinned in and no counter-steer, would likely heel to 40 or 50 degrees.

That's why I teach crew to heave to properly. In all conditions. I believe that's the only way to create a safe environment and proceed to complete phases 2/3 of the operation. Until first mate can do that, I assume the only thing in my armoury is phase 1 (avoidance).

My advice to the OP anyway is try a few of these options with the first mate; talk it through as you do so; decide what works for you both. Enjoy.

Sorry, cannot agree.

 

[capnsensible]

Once again i can only stress that Ive done this dozens of times. Im not guessing. If I got a couple on board I always show them that way.
Plenty of time to call for help. Plenty of time for the mob to try and help themselves.

 

[capnsensible]

Sorry, cannot agree.

Nor me. Ive been lucky to have taught over 600 courses. At at least 2mob practices a day ten per course thats at least 6000.

I get the odd surprise but not very often.... but I sure as eggs know what works! ?

 

[JumbleDuck]

You don't need to waste valuable time dropping sails, you simply position your boat upwind of the MoB, let all sheets fly, check no lines in the water & then use reverse & forward gears to position boat upwind but adjacent to casualt6y, while the boat drifts down until it reaches MoB. Faffing about with sails, means you eye is off the ball & MoB can be lost. I was shown & practiced this by a Poole Sailing School, simple & works.

Next time you're on the Clyde you can try that on my boat - long keel and high bows. I shall watch with interest.

 

[capnsensible]

Next time you're on the Clyde you can try that on my boat - long keel and high bows. I shall watch with interest.

Even easier!

☺

 

[Balbas]

I've just skin read the thread, so I may have missed it, but I haven't seen anyone say 'heave -to' as an immediate action. Every boat I've been on will stop quickly. Probably close enough to the casualty to lob floaty stuff at them, check for lines in the water and start the engine and get back to them in under a minute.

For a practic don't jump in yourself unless you want to die. Tie a warp to a fender and throw that in.

 

[jwilson]

Read the OP, there is but one very inexperienced person left on board & you expect them to roll up the genoa, drop the mainsail & also start the engine, then drive back to MoB?
The "what they do next" is relatively simple in comparison, throw a line, throw anything, but as for sail dropping & fiddling with a genoa, that really is a step too far.

The OP specified a single person left alone on board who had done a Competent Crew course. That is a pretty low skill level but not totally inexperienced. I still think that with that specific one person left on board getting sails down and starting engine after dropping danbuoy, lifebuoys etc. is the quickest, most reliable and safest way.

Like some other posters, I have practiced and taught MOB drills quite a lot, on quite a few different boats, at times with real humans as MOBs. With reasonable crew skill left on board, getting the boat back to the person is the easy bit, getting them back aboard unless ultra-fit is the hard bit. If MOB is unconscious ( have practiced that too with real humans pretending, including once a 16 stone RN diver who was super-convincing face down for what seemed like several minutes) few people left alone will actually get them back.

Let go genoa sheet. Pull in furling line. Let go clutch on mainsail halyard: it ought to drop at least most of the way and may be largely contained by the lazyjacks, if fitted. Start engine and look round for danbuoy flag.

 

[RJJ]

I did.

 

[RJJ]

Nor m upe. Ive been lucky to have taught over 600 courses. At at least 2mob practices a day ten per course thats at least 6000.

I get the odd surprise but not very often.... but I sure as eggs know what works! ?

Fair enough, my interest is certainly piqued and I will take my own advice and try your way. Will report back how I get on, on my slightly racy deep-draft/short cord fin.

 

[scotty123]

The OP specified a single person left alone on board who had done a Competent Crew course. That is a pretty low skill level but not totally inexperienced. I still think that with that specific one person left on board getting sails down and starting engine after dropping danbuoy, lifebuoys etc. is the quickest, most reliable and safest way.

Like some other posters, I have practiced and taught MOB drills quite a lot, on quite a few different boats, at times with real humans as MOBs. With reasonable crew skill left on board, getting the boat back to the person is the easy bit, getting them back aboard unless ultra-fit is the hard bit. If MOB is unconscious ( have practiced that too with real humans pretending, including once a 16 stone RN diver who was super-convincing face down for what seemed like several minutes) few people left alone will actually get them back.

Let go genoa sheet. Pull in furling line. Let go clutch on mainsail halyard: it ought to drop at least most of the way and may be largely contained by the lazyjacks, if fitted. Start engine and look round for danbuoy flag.

"With reasonable crew on board", says it all.
Do you really think someone who 'might' have learn't something on a competant crew course, is capable of doing all you seem to task them? Particularly in a stressful panic situation?
I've known 'experienced sailors' who couldn't cope.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Let go genoa sheet. Pull in furling line. Let go clutch on mainsail halyard: it ought to drop at least most of the way and may be largely contained by the lazyjacks, if fitted. Start engine and look round for danbuoy flag.

The mainsail on my Moody 31 will only drop at all if head to wind, and as I don't have lazy jacks, it generally blocks the sidedeck on one side or the other. Further, although my wife know howto furl the genoa, it is likely to be beyond her strength to do so in anything of a wind. I should note that the mainsail track has been coated with a lubricant, and the furling gear recently overhauled, and running smoothly!

 

[capnsensible]

Fair enough, my interest is certainly piqued and I will take my own advice and try your way. Will report back how I get on, on my slightly racy deep-draft/short cord fin.

Tops I bet you enjoy it. I like it even just for showing boats arent that precious and its ok to chuck em about a bit ......with due care of fingers and heads!

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Tops I bet you enjoy it. I like it even just for showing boats arent that precious and its ok to chuck em about a bit ......with due care of fingers and heads!

I'm sure its fun as indeed was our hours of practice but that was excercise in moderate weather with more than one on board and maybe in your case more modern or bidable boats. Both our present boats sail best with max genoa for the conditions (and little mainsl) so pushing the tiller over/turning wheel to weather will cause our boats to go in mad circle almost impossible to manage. This is likely to be such an unstable platform that it would be hard for remaining person keep their eye on casualty, I know 'cause we have done it by mistake when jib sheet jammed on tack and CG observer was so concerned they hailed us asked us if we had major gear failure or similar, and less worryingly when trying to determine classic hove to sweet spot in roughish weather. Neither boat likes to do a classic "hove to" either unless jib much reduced or furled. No worry about throwing boat about but we will do it more like Mr JWilson's way or just let jib sheets go.

Plenty of time to sort rescue - not in Bristol Channel? Swept away by contrary currents or died of hypothemia in 45 minutes if unlucky.

 

[thinwater]

Next time you're on the Clyde you can try that on my boat - long keel and high bows. I shall watch with interest.

:encouragement: In fact, I have tried this approach, repeatedly, while working on an article on couples MOB recovery. It didn't work, repeatedly. Many (most?) multihulls won't jibe that way. They will just leave on the new tack, rather slowly (which is perhaps still faster than some monohulls), with the large roach mainsail stalling the rudder. Possibly they will jibe around and then stall, in which case they fore reach off at 2-3 knots. But they won't tack a second time on any bet and you can't do a 360 penalty that way, the way you could in a 420.

But I do like the method, for boats that sail that way.

If the crew is considered at all "competent," then heaving to is a good first step. On some boats you will drift right back to the MOB. On my boat you will get quite close, certainly within easy swimming distance. Try it. But at least the boat is stopped. This is important for controlling panic.

If I actually want to pick up a hat or fender (we do that drill a good bit), then I do something different. But that is a different question. The hat won't swim to the boat or grab a Lifesling!

 

[Old Bumbulum]

Heave to and or stiop the boat in any manner avilable to the skill of the remainng crew
Deploy all flotation and markers .
manoeuver the boat to recover.
Recover any way you can, inc deploying the liferaft and hold the casualty alongside if necessary. Then call...
This bolleaux about going below to send radio messages and look ar the GPS is exactly that, bolleaux.
The first five minutes will determine if the mob is going to survive ot not; calling on the radio is never ever going to result in a rescue in less than three times that, more likely ten times that or more.
Wasting time while someone is drowning calling someone who will take ten minutes merely figuring out where you are and can't respond in an hour isn't going to help anyone, least of all the poor sod who's drowning. Don't waste your time doing it.

Survival is almost always determined by what you can do on the spot, not what someone you call can do an hour later.

 

[capnsensible]

Heave to and or stiop the boat in any manner avilable to the skill of the remainng crew
Depoly all flotation and markers .
manoeuver the boat to recover.
Recover any way you can, inc deploying the liferaft to get the casualty into.
This bolleaux about going below to send radio messages and look ar the GPS is exactly that, bolleaux.
The first five minutes will determine if the mob is going to survive ot not.
Calling on the radio is never ever going to result in a rescue in less than three times that, more likely ten times that.

Survival is almost always determined by what you can do on the spot, not what someone you call can do an hour later.

Well. Some years ago I knew one of the rescue helicopter pilots at lee on solent. We used to chat about this. His very strong advice was to get your mayday call out as quick as you possibly can. And stressed that. Over and again. Now as a rescue helicopter pilot i reckon he knows more than any contributer on here. So I will always heed that advice.

But of course on a forum such as this there will always be someone who knows better...