Singlehanded overboard - getting back onboard options

Tim O

Tim O

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so....Ive been musing, to avoid doing my tax return...

Scenario - single-handing and despite all best practise with jacklines and tethers, assume you have gone over the side with tether on and are being dragged and cant get back onboard......advice is to cut yourself free....

But what happens next?

You either watch the boat getting further away, activate your PLB and await rescue or....??

What if you had emergency safety ladders on the aft quarters reachable from water level as well as the usual one on the transom?
What if you rigged a line from bow to stern along the side of the hull that you could "slide" back along to behind the transom.....by clipping the other end of your tether into that you havent cut through....or handing along if you were strong enough?
What about towing something...a line or whatever, as a last ditch option?
What about ways of rigging something that would broach the boat or steer it in a circle?
What about electronics that could do that?
What about something that could automatically "fire" a danbuoy/marker behind the boat so at least you would have something to aim for to make you more visible?

Interested in any comments, experience or links - sure all this has been tried!!!
 
This is a question I've often asked myself, I go single handed, often in the remote parts of NW Scotland.

I have a emergency boarding ladder, fitted just above the waterline ladder on the transom.

https://marinestore.co.uk/Plastimo_Safety_Ladder_Flush_Mount.html

This might work when I'm at anchor, but getting to it from a MOB when underway with the autopilot operational, probably wouldn't work.

I also have a Raymarine MOB system, a little tag you carry which has a WIFi Link to the MFD display, when the WIFI link is lost it sounds an alarm, great for a fully crewed boat, or tracking the grand children in a marina, but as it stands useless when sailing single handed.

I emailed Raymarine asking if this could be used to say put the helm hard over, when the alarm sounds, but didn't get a reply.

Although putting the helm hard over, is a potential solution, it would probably stop the boat when under sail, but could be very dangerous under power, with the boat heading back to you at 6 knots or more. False alarms could also be a significant hazard.

I can think of other option to cut the engine, or release the mainsheet, or release a MOB dan buoy and life buoy, but none look that practical and don't seem to be available commercially.

On the other hand, I've been sailing around the North of Scotland for decades and, touch wood, never fallen overboard, so perhaps I worry to much about falling overboard.
 
For me the obvious one is, don't have a tether that lets you overboard, but that's not the question! Your thought for "What about ways of rigging something that would broach the boat or steer it in a circle?", wouldn't be too hard to rig up, I reckon. With my boat, being tiller steered, when the considerable tension of going overboard was applied, this would break the 'Wasted connector' that held the jackline, which went from that (now broken) fastening point, around the tiller, thus pulling the tiller 'hard-over', with the boat then hoved to ultimately.
This isn't something that I've thought through, but am avoiding the drudgery of wiring up a Chinese made tachometer to an old Renault RC8D engine.
 
A waterproof wireless remote control over both steering and throttle.
Then you could lay in the water and attempt to run yourself down, still need a usable ladder.
I believe most boats drift downwind faster than anyone can swim.
 
Climbing out of water while fully dressed in waterproofs is MUCH harder than people think. I can JUST climb out of a heated swimming pool in soggy waterproofs; the added weight makes it marginal, though. I doubt very much if I could do it when suffering from immersion in cold water; I have personal experience of how rapidly your strength diminishes from immersion in cold water - and that was something that happened when I was much younger and fitter! My strength went from able to heave myself out of the water into an inflatable on my own being unable to get out without assistance from my father and brother after a few minutes of immersion - no longer than the time I could hold my breath to clear a rope from the propellor! It took three dives; I don't know if I could have done four.

The only realistic MOB strategy for single-handed sailing is to ensure you don't and can't go overboard. Your chances of getting out of the water in northern waters, even with swim ladders and ropes, are pretty slim. And, of course, if the boat is under autopilot, you stand no chance.
 
Tim O said:
so....Ive been musing, to avoid doing my tax return...

Scenario - single-handing and despite all best practise with jacklines and tethers, assume you have gone over the side with tether on and are being dragged and cant get back onboard......advice is to cut yourself free....

But what happens next?
Click to expand...

You die. Sorry.

Or at least, that has always been my assumption.
 
I think it is optimistic to assume you can get back on board single handed almost whatever provision you have made. Even an emergency ladder requires you to get to it which is likely to be difficult to impossible unless the boat is dead in the water.

So press the button on your PLB and hope they get to you in time.
 
The Victorians had this worked out.

HW1875P424952.jpg
 
If you have ever tried swimming with a life jacket you will find it very difficult. Being a dinghy sailor as well I have been capsized dozens of times & now I am older trying to get to the boat from only a few yards away with a buoyancy aid is hard enough., let alone an inflated life jacket.
I know that I have only a few seconds to react & have a large hook on a 150mm dynema strop attached to my jacket to be as light as possible & not get in the way as would another leg on a life line.
I have a line rigged from about 6ft from the bow held just above the waterline tensioned by a small cable tie at the stern quarter by the pulpit. This line then goes across the stern of the boat at deck level & another loop goes across the stern just long enough so i could get my foot into it from the water.
My plan would be to hook the short line to the side line along the side of the boat & cut my main tether with a spinlock knife I have. If I manage that I should be swept aft & break the cable tie. This will bring me to a point where I no longer bang against the side of the boat. The way i have the line it should lift me up a bit as well. I can now kick my Aeries self steering oar & may be able to alter the steering & luff the boat. If not under power that is!!( But if I am under power I will have probably fallen whilst hoisting or lowering sails so I am in with a chance as i will be near port)
Hopefully I have enough to grab hold of to get my foot in the other loop & get back on board.
failing that I will cut the other tether rather than get mouthfuls of water & tire quickly. Set the PLB. Open the mini flares I have on my belt. & wait for the boat to run aground or the PLB to alert rescue.
Just lay quiet, try not to panic & wait. Exert no further energy if possible. Let a flare off if I see someone & let the rescue services handle it from there in. Be rotten luck if no one sees a flare in the Channel or southern N sea

The main loop is handy if I have a crew as it gives them something to grab & keep close to the boat.
 
Last edited:
bedouin said:
I think it is optimistic to assume you can get back on board single handed almost whatever provision you have made. Even an emergency ladder requires you to get to it which is likely to be difficult to impossible unless the boat is dead in the water.

So press the button on your PLB and hope they get to you in time.
Click to expand...

+1 I too hope that i will be clipped on and also be able to get to my stern ladder which does have a release at water level for the fold down section but the chances of success are low. I just hope I will be able to activate my PLB..,.,...

www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk
 
Lightwave395 said:
I believe the NKE autopilots (as used on the Figaro racers) have a feature whereby you wear a pendant with a button which when pushed stuffs the boat head to wind thereby giving you a fair chance of getting back to it
Click to expand...

Replace "fair" with "very slight", I think.

Better than nothing, so worth doing, but chasing after a drifting boat with the windage of flogging sails is going to be a losing battle. If you're lucky the boat might swing up to windward and then drift down towards you - if it's drifting away then I doubt most will be able to catch up.

Pete
 
My sailing is almost all single handed & my boat is a 20 ft tiddler so this is my main nightmare.
Centre-line jack stay from cockpit to mast and a short life-line is my (imperfect) solution when going forward. But I rarely go forward as all lines are handled from the cockpit.
 
Daydream believer said:
But we all know what assumption is don't we.
Click to expand...

Oh yes indeed. Any assumption that going overboard when sailing solo is survivable is dangerous, I think.

With all due respects that is the wrong attitude. You do everything to survive & you must keep survival in the mind. You do not always "have" to die.
Click to expand...

I want to survive, so I take damn good care not to go overboard. Once I'm over, it's too late.

Have you tried your system in realistic conditions, by the way? It would make an interesting magazine article.
 
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