Single handed MOB recovery system.

Pagetslady

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Joined
15 Feb 2006
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Fleetwood marina
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Has this project been covered before? I have been thinking about this and there is a system available that crew members carry a unit that when out of range of the base unit sounds an alarm on board so the skipper or other crew members are alerted to the MOB and can take the appropriate action. It must be therefore possible to use this device to stop the engine, that bits easy my question is can that device be connected to the autopilot to turn the boat when under sail head to wind.
I have also thought of a similar device that would release the dingy or life raft from davits, with maybe a few hundred meters of line attaching the dingy etc to the boat.
I remember some time in the distant past a thread that asked how long a floating line trailed over the transom need be for a MOB to be able to grab the line and by pulling on it disengage the engine or luff up the sailing boat, I did for a short time put a coffee mug on the morse lever with a long floating line attached to a strong point on the boat but with a short length attached to the mug handle so first it would put the engine in neutral then come up tight up against the strong point and enable me to pull myself back to the boat. But modern with tech-knowledge it must be able to do more simply?
Mike
 
When being dragged behind a boat even in a harness the water flow makes life unbearable at 4 knots. Certainly at 4 knots you could never hold yourself on a rope or pull yourself back to the boat. As you have suggested the boat must be stopped. The only option really is to stay on the boat with short tethers. a line astern could be used if it forced the boat to turn or stop useless to just grab. I know I have tried it. good luck olewill
 
The whole point of MOB is to stop it. We had jackstays along the deck and one long tether, for standing up at the mast then put the short tether around the mast and one short tether for deck work. When using a tether always move around the deck on your hands and knees, then it's impossible to go over the rails.

We used to put a rope behind the boat in the Med to get towed along for fun. As said it's impossible to get back to the boat, indeed it tears you swimming trunks off, in full wet weather gear and boots you would be dragged under the surface.
 
Hi you followed me out of Fleetwood last Saturday, we had a great sail out through the neckings round kings scar and back around Wyre light most of the way with cruising chute up, didn't see anybody else out until we were on our way back in. I went out on Sunday, I had made some changes to my raw water cooling and wanted to see if I had increased the flow when motoring, but wow there were waves coming down the river, I had green (brown) water over the length of the boat, so I soon came back in, big SSE wind yet again, but Saturday was a bonus, well worth keeping the boat in the water for.
Regards Mike
 
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