Single handed yachtsman fallen overboard

B

boaterbaz

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 Apr 2010
Messages
450
Location
With the singing potatoes and a mexican midget
Visit site
on passage south of Looe, Cornwall a solo yachtsman fell overboard. Fortunately the sailor had some form of iperb on him and was rescued by helicopter. Does anyone have more info as the local papers report is very brief.

What must go through your mind as you watch your boat sail away on auto pilot from water level.
 
" What must go through your mind as you watch your boat sail away on auto pilot from water level."

What a lovely shape her transom is from this angle..??

Probably not ..more like Sidedrum's answer I suspect..:D
 
boaterbaz said:
As was mentioned in previous thread it would be nice to know what device he was carrying to alert the coastguard.
Click to expand...

+1. I have a PLB in the waistband of my lifejacket, tied on with a short length of twine. I hope I never have to use it.
I think there are two types - one which sends a "help me" signal, and one which sends a "help me and my GPS position is...." signal. The GPS ones significantly reduce rescue time.
 
I seem to recall (mid 90's?) a manafacturer who was working on an auto helm which if it wasn't signaled at a set interval (say hit a certain button every 5 minutes) it would start sailing/motoring in a 1 mile circle until recovered :confused:

Did it ever reach the market?

Neal
 
Seaduck said:
I seem to recall (mid 90's?) a manafacturer who was working on an auto helm which if it wasn't signaled at a set interval (say hit a certain button every 5 minutes) it would start sailing/motoring in a 1 mile circle until recovered :confused:

Did it ever reach the market?

Neal
Click to expand...

No idea, but a better idea would be not to fall overboard in the first place.

If cold-shock didn't get you, hyporthermia soon would - and you try swimming in a lifejacket, let alone attempting to get back on board with partial-onset numbness.
 
Seaduck said:
I seem to recall (mid 90's?) a manafacturer who was working on an auto helm which if it wasn't signaled at a set interval (say hit a certain button every 5 minutes) it would start sailing/motoring in a 1 mile circle until recovered
Click to expand...

I seem to remember a device that you carried in your pocket that talked to the AH.
If it went out of range it did 'something' to the AH - auto tack, auto tack and standby or whatever.

Edit: Found it
Maybe not this one :(
 
Last edited:
Singlehanded MOB

As a regular single-hander, a confessional:

In my youth I sailed all over the place, in all weathers, in leaky old wooden boats with no guard-wires, few charts, no technology and without so much as a bar of chocolate in my pocket.

Now, 5 decades on, my boat is 'unsinkable', my satnav knows where I am to a few metres, I wear a lifejacket; have a PLB on my belt; a cellphone in a waterproof pouch on a line round my neck .....

Bloody hell, it was liberating in the good old days .......
 
Greenwichman said:
As a regular single-hander, a confessional:

In my youth I sailed all over the place, in all weathers, in leaky old wooden boats with no guard-wires, few charts, no technology and without so much as a bar of chocolate in my pocket.

Now, 5 decades on, my boat is 'unsinkable', my satnav knows where I am to a few metres, I wear a lifejacket; have a PLB on my belt; a cellphone in a waterproof pouch on a line round my neck .....

Bloody hell, it was liberating in the good old days .......
Click to expand...

You were probably just lucky... :D
 
Greenwichman said:
As a regular single-hander, a confessional:
[...]
Bloody hell, it was liberating in the good old days .......
Click to expand...

Yesterday I had the guard completely removed from the table-saw to carry out 'illegal' precision cross-cutting of 5" oak. With just under half of a 12" flesh&bone eating blade spinning viciously close to me at 5400rpm, I was EVER SO focused and careful. Just like I always used to do it in the old days.
 
Last edited:
I note the comment above re unclipping a life line.
Some of you may have seen the recent article in PBO about the lifejacket that allows the lifeline to tow you from the back so that you do not get forced face down.
I wonder how you would unclip that. Has anyone considered this?
That being said I feel ot would be very awkward to unclip any lifeline with a load on it

Going on to Personal epirbs. Mine is attached to my lifejacket with a cable tie.
Considering how common these units have become is it not surprising that manufacturers cannot come up with a pocket for them.
It is no good just putting one in your jacket because if you remove the jacket you could forget to change over the unit.I fix mine to my life jacket because I always wear it but I do not always wear wet gear
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top