What's your initial MOB procedure?

[Adios]

There's no option in the poll for either

c) Panic,
or
d) Light the Hamlet cigar you keep in a waterproof container in your lifejacket, and calmly watch the boat recede towards the horizon.

Or E) Watch your wife proceed to the horizon while reading the note she left you where the PLB used to be

 

[Skylark]

…….. 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.

Out of interest, what was the MoB training?

 

[dunedin]

Of course like everything there is no single answer - all depends on circumstances.
Lots of systems are based on the assumption of fully crewed boats, which is fine - but can hardly delegate somebody to keep an eye on the casualty if sailing as a couple (or indeed if solo!)

Getting back to the casualty is probably the easy bit. But will again depend on so many factors (including wind and sea state).
As an ex-dinghy sailor, for things dropped overboard (eg hats etc) in moderate conditions it is quick gybe and then round up - straight back and easy to stop on close reach (never tack unless super wild conditions, as then end up to windward and sailing fast downwind to lost item / person so can’t stop). It helps that our mainsheet is safely ahead of the sprayhood, so instant gybe generally very safe.

But if short handed perhaps pressing the MOB button immediately is the best thing as very quick - and then can prepare the manoeuvre to head back. Again different if everybody has MOB AIS in their Lifejacket, but this may take a few minutes to operate losing valuable time.
Whilst we carry a horseshoe buoy, probably wouldn’t waste time with it. The floating rope to motor round a casualty might be better if unable to immediately get alongside.

But then the real issue starts - with topsides well over a metre almost impossible to life a casualty on board with wet gear. Hence,again depending on circumstances and available crew, likely to try
(a) dropping dinghy from davits and using as a lifeboat to get them on board that initially - best bet if 2 or more on board; or
(b) get clip on casualty and attach to spinnaker halyard and use electric halyard winch - likely to be very uncomfortable or worse, but probably only realistic way for petit person to lift heavier casualty.
Certainly once secured the casualty worth doing a Mayday call if not absolutely certain that can get back on board. Just press DSC button, explain MOB and refuse to answer all the nonsense series of questions on what is your MMSI and Call Sign etc - “you can see that from my DSc alert and AIS !!!”

I don’t get athomson’s bee in his bonnet about jackstays along side decks. With sprayhood protecting cockpit, can’t have them up the middle of the boat. Better to have set up for all normal sail operations to be done from the cockpit. And if need to go forward always clip on high side - only real risk of falling over uphill is fitting fenders outside harbour when a mobo wash hits the boat.
And of course again the issue becomes an “it depends” - the Backtow Lifejacket igned specifically to address the risk of drowning being pulled along at speed by the tether (useful for single handed perhaps, though in most boats the crew should be able to stop the boat quickly).
Where is the “none of the above” option in the survey?

 

[Adios]

Out of interest, what was the MoB training?

Better not say specifically but it was a group with a training element to train volunteers to all be doing the same thing so no one would be surprised if it happens. There was another element of the MOB procedure that didn't seem ideal as well, to do with hoving to with a boat that wouldn't stay hove to. The nearest approximation being with the sails set like hove to but it would only stay that way with constant forward/reverse engine input. It took all the attention of the helm to achieve that. And drifting onto the casualty. Personally I'd have come up with something that was more suitable to the boat rather than fighting against its nature. All the practice was done from an upwind point of sail relying on drifting down. Its obviously hard to come up with a one size fits all solution for various people of various abilities in various situations / sea states / casualty conditions / points of sail.

They had a very well sorted hauling people onboard method though which worked a treat.

 

[Never Grumble]

I just release the clutch and mine smokes down.

So does my mainsail thanks to the intermediate roller cars.

Other than that my MOB process is to immediately manoeuvre to keep close to the casualty, drop horseshoe buoy, engine on etc. I remember losing a man overboard dummy in the English Channel when doing an exercise on a warship, mainly down to losing sight of the dummy and that was on a ship with a height of eye significantly higher than we have on our yachts.

Four main lifejackets on board contain AIS transceivers that automatically go off when the lifejacket inflates and we also have a towable sling. Also fitted dyneema loops in the lifejackets aka "MOB lifesavers" which hopefully would make grabbing and hooking on the casualty slightly easier.

 

[Adios]

Also fitted dyneema loops in the lifejackets aka "MOB lifesavers" which hopefully would make grabbing and hooking on the casualty slightly easier.

They had those as part of the procedure and they made things massively easier. Could get the boat hook to it and long enough to then get a halyard clipped on while they are still in the water. Without them helping. If the casualty is unconscious or unable to help you how else would you attached them without also getting down at their level in the water. They seem like such a no brainer that its a wonder its not standard equipment on every new LJ.

 

[Porthandbuoy]

I forgot. Single handing?

Die.

 

[Adios]

I forgot. Single handing?

Die.

or get swimming

 

[Porthandbuoy]

or get swimming

Fully booted and spurred, wearing foulies and a lifejacket? You die

 

[Never Grumble]

They had those as part of the procedure and they made things massively easier. Could get the boat hook to it and long enough to then get a halyard clipped on while they are still in the water. Without them helping. If the casualty is unconscious or unable to help you how else would you attached them without also getting down at their level in the water. They seem like such a no brainer that its a wonder its not standard equipment on every new LJ.

I'd agree a no brainer. The problem is most dont add these additional bits and pieces to their standard lifejackets, some probably dont even service them. An AIS device like the Ocean Signal MOB1 and MOB lifesaver is close to an extra £300 for each lifejacket. I desperately need to upgrade my chart plotter but the life saving kit came first.

 

[Adios]

Fully booted and spurred, wearing foulies and a lifejacket? You die

well lets not give up without trying. With a LJ I'd have time to take my boots off. LJs are rubbish for swimming in but I do wonder how good they might be to make a float for resting on while swimming. I do a bit of spearfishing and have one of these floats. They have a few uses but one of them is to rest on and you can stay afloat while kicking. So I could get out of my LJ once thinking I've run out of other options. Then use it like this to kick from it. It won't have as much buoyancy as this float but should be enough to keep my upper body afloat with foulies still on. Then it depends on how far it is and the temperatures and if I had a good meal recently. But its not certain death in all cases.

 

[capnsensible]

 

[capnsensible]

 

[arc1]

View attachment 159764

Ah, but have you gone the full hog and fitted both fwd and aft escape towers to your yacht?!

 

[Zagato]

Depends on who fell over!

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Fully booted and spurred, wearing foulies and a lifejacket? You die

Yet in the PBO article that has kicked of the recent threads, they give an example that demonstrates the opposite. A person who fell overboard, got towed by the harness, managed to release the life jacket, then treaded water for 2 hours in typical sailing gear (the sailing gear is a memory from when this incident was first reported, so could be wrong). It was in uk waters and they got rescued.

There is a lot of potential air space in sailing kit.

 

[capnsensible]

Ah, but have you gone the full hog and fitted both fwd and aft escape towers to your yacht?!

Sometimes I take a 'good, deep breath' though.....

 

[ylop]

Your poll options are unnecessarily mutually exclusive. If I understood correctly the training you didn't like was on a well-crewed boat - there's no reason there why some of these things can't be done by different people at the same time. With a group of competent people, I'd expect someone to be marking the position and transmitting DSC whilst others were manoeuvring the boat. Likewise, they can then get the recovery equipment prepped whilst on the final approach. If its just me left on board I can steer and push a button on the plotter. If you have a DSC radio in the cockpit you only need one finger to make a distress call.

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.

Do you carry a knife or rope cutter on your LJ? Not saying that will always solve your concern about being trapped on a tether but its a start. As of course is rigging your jack stays etc to minimise the issue. You can also devise your own "standing orders" about the process for leaving the cockpit when underway alone - one size fits all for all boats, all locations, all experiences, all crew numbers, all weathers, etc is never going to work.

 

[justanothersailboat]

As I am often on my own, if I fall off, my plan is to die... unless I'm in some of my favourite parts of the East Coast, in which case I will stand on the seabed, hope not to sink into the ooze, and walk in whichever direction feels like uphill.

 

[greeny]

This is probably thread drift and needs a whole new post but there's already been mention of single handers so I don't feel too guilty.
What precautions do solo sailors take in the event of going overboard. Lifejacket at all times? harness and tether when leaving cockpit? epirb worn at all times? Trailng line with float that is somehow rigged to release mainsheet or similar if you manage to grab it? There's maybe some wisdom out there that we can all learn from and hadn't thought of ourselves.