What's your initial MOB procedure?

[Adios]

Probably because I've never been fully loaded with electronics or had much crew I thought the best thing to do was hard over immediately to keep the distance as small as possible. Throw a life boy or rope if close enough, see if they are swimming to me, if not turn the boat to get them. On a recent MOB training I was a bit puzzled by the choice to fiddle with all the electronics and get recovery stuff ready first before any maneuvering to stop the boat getting further away. Not surprisingly the fender was an occasionally visible speck by the time the boat was turned.

Anyway I didn't think much of it until recent discussions on people going over the side while tethered. This coded boat had jack stays running up the side decks as usual so it had the real risk of someone being dragged face first through the water at 7-8 miles an hour. So on this boat when someone shouts "MAN OVER BOARD" the person in charge needs to shout back "ARE THEY ON A TETHER?" and then change the MOB procedure accordingly. Not ideal.

So I was wondering what others do and why

 

[Martin_J]

My first instruction has always been that "the person that notices shouts 'man overboard' whilst looking at and pointing at them"... Second instruction is always "Don't take your eyes off them", I say, because one you've lost sight of them it'll be harder to find them again.

As to next instructions... I'm open to see but as you say, they'll change dependent on if tethered or not.

 

[Clancy Moped]

I was taught to shout MOB, point at the person in the water and not take your eyes off them and continue to point, then your second option..... Roughly.

 

[Adios]

straight away i'm thinking the pointing thing assumes you have crew remaining on board to do that

 

[capnsensible]

Stop.

 

[greeny]

I sail solo so it would be stay afloat, conserve energy.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Click on the plotter MOB button, then motor back to MOB. What I do between these two steps will depend on what the sails are doing. The fastest for me is if it happens when sailing close hauled, a controlled fast tack and heave to. Engine on and then using forward and revers, keep the boat directly up wind and let it drift onto MOB. I was shown this decades ago and it works very well (but didn't have the MOB button then) so would throw dan buoy, horse shoe, cushions all the while using a spotter if available. This days it is usually short hand sailing, so the spotter will not always be spotting!
My plotter is recent tech and the MOB waypoint is dynamic with drift calculated based on wind and tide, not just a static waypoint.

 

[Clancy Moped]

straight away i'm thinking the pointing thing assumes you have crew remaining on board to do that

If you're single handed then praying is probably best.

 

[rogerthebodger]

I was taught to shout MOB, point at the person in the water and not take your eyes off them and continue to point, then your second option..... Roughly.

My first instruction has always been that "the person that notices shouts 'man overboard' whilst looking at and pointing at them"... Second instruction is always "Don't take your eyes off them", I say, because one you've lost sight of them it'll be harder to find them again.

As to next instructions... I'm open to see but as you say, they'll change dependent on if tethered or not.

Both of these are what I wa told on both my Day skipper and costal skipper

These are OK if you have stuffiest crew on watch but shorted handed and on night watch is not always possible.

I have a MOB indicator that alarms if a crew member goes out of range and marks the GPS position on equipment.

I also have danbuoy attached to a life ring not connected to the boat and the same connected with a floating line. This allows ne to return and circuile the MOB to capiture the MOB ready to pick up the MOB by using a halyard of block and tackle

 

[Adios]

I have a MOB indicator that alarms if a crew member goes out of range and marks the GPS position on equipment.

Do you have a link to this?

 

[Adios]

If you're single handed then praying is probably best.

Hopefully only single handed until I've picked the crew up again

 

[rogerthebodger]

Do you have a link to this?

My was a unit developed by a member of the forum who was design and development a setup some time ago

There is one from NASA which is simulate by different to mine

MOBi MOB Indicator - Nasa Marine Instruments

 

[Adios]

My was a unit developed by a member of the forum who was design and development a setup some time ago

There is one from NASA which is simulate by different to mine

MOBi MOB Indicator - Nasa Marine Instruments

No GPS on that one. These are no good if people are on a tether either. Again making me think using (badly laid out) tethers in calm weather is a bad idea. In poor weather its more likely there would be someone else in the cockpit who would notice, but I can imagine someone on watch on a calm night not bothering to wake someone else but clipping on thinking its calm enough to nip up the front to do something, going over, alarm won't sound. They have been better floating free.

 

[Skylark]

I break down MoB recovery and aftercare into smaller elements. The first element consists of three actions which should happen almost simultaneously. Shout / raise the alarm, point, stop the boat (crash tack if going uphill).

 

[Bobc]

Stop as quickly as possible (head to wind or heave to).

Get engine on

Motor back to mob and chuck all mob gear at/to them.

Drop sails and prepare to lift them back on the boat

Get them back on board.

 

[The Q]

A, start swimming, I sail a single hander.

Or

B, drive rapidly towards them I'm on rescue boat duty again.

 

[Barnacle Bill]

Initial action: Crash stop immediately and keep close to the casualty. Sheet the main hard in, come up through the wind and go straight back to them, sailing round them etc with no further adjustment to the sails.

If they were tethered? Might depend what point of sail you were on, but if you're at all close to the wind coming up into it is a pretty good way to stop.

After that get the engine on and headsail away (leave the main sheeted hard in), then loop downwind and back upwind to pick them up under engine.

Having once caught my practice MOB (fender tied to coil of rope) round the prop, I was reminded that the prop is a good way forward of the stern, not very far from the side of the boat, and well able to suck things towards it. So be very careful if you decide to manoeuvre the boat with the engine close to the MOB.

 

[capnsensible]

Stop as quickly as possible (head to wind or heave to).

Get engine on

Motor back to mob and chuck all mob gear at/to them.

Drop sails and prepare to lift them back on the boat

Get them back on board.

It can take a while to drop the main. Easier to motor slowly into wind. In my experience.

 

[capnsensible]

I'm not sure I get this falling in whilst clipped on thing. Only ever heard of it once, years ago. No one noticed the casualty for a bit. Sad. Never had it happen.

 

[Bobc]

It can take a while to drop the main. Easier to motor slowly into wind. In my experience.

I just release the clutch and mine smokes down.