What's your initial MOB procedure?

[rogerthebodger]

I used to use a spinnaker halyard to lift my solid tender onto my for deck

The issue I found was the halyard pulling the dingy into the side of the boat and catching on the life lined.

I then fitted a cleat on my spinnaker boom to prevent the dingy hitting the life lined.

This caused extra friction on the mast winch. A handy billy o the end of the spinnaker boom would make that easer.

The same arrangement would also work to lift a MOB over the life lined onto the foredeck.

Just need to fit a block to direct the handy billy onto the mast winch.

 

[Adios]

Testing MOB retrieval and recovery kit

Tried the boom. They turned the sheet blocks upside down looking at the picture but cocked it up a bit "We should have raised the boom by releasing the vang and hauling on the topping lift." But if that had been done it looks like a reasonable method and didn't even need the winch though that would have been safer presumably.

 

[srm]

I eventually came to use the mainsheet, 4 part. Closed hooks at both ends so it can be swapped end for end for lifting. Fortunately, lifting tackle just happened to be in line with gates in guard rail at fowd end of cockpit and boarding ladder to stbd. Have tested it for lifting heaviest crew.
We also have a second similar 4 part tackle used to lift rigid dinghy on spi halyard that could be used on any halyard.
Also, made a helicopter type strop, but as mentioned earlier requires an active casualty to keep their arms down against their sides.
However I still regard prevention as the first and most important step in any potential MOB.

What did you end up doing with the victim? Tow him back to port?

I climbed back on board from the dinghy, it was a dry practice while at anchor.

 

[srm]

Harnesses, tethers, and jackstays require careful consideration.

A friend was singlehanded taking his boat around the coast when he was caught out in unforecast conditions and decided to motor. His wife was waiting with the car at his next port. She reported him overdue. Lifeboat launched at destination and reversed his planned track. Boat found motoring in circles with his body towed by the tether on the quarter. From the state of the boat it looked as it there had been a 90 degree knock down throwing him out of the cockpit.

 

[Adios]

Harnesses, tethers, and jackstays require careful consideration.

A friend was singlehanded taking his boat around the coast when he was caught out in unforecast conditions and decided to motor. His wife was waiting with the car at his next port. She reported him overdue. Lifeboat launched at destination and reversed his planned track. Boat found motoring in circles with his body towed by the tether on the quarter. From the state of the boat it looked as it there had been a 90 degree knock down throwing him out of the cockpit.

yes there isn't enough consideration usually I think. Tethers that allow leaving the boat clearly too long or attached to the wrong place. How sad it would be to have a PLB that could have got you pick up in half an hour but be drowned by being towed face first at 5 knots. You saw the recent thread on it? Jack stays and tethers are used too often in calm weather

 

[Sandy]

So I was wondering what others do and why

Quietly mutter under my breath, 'you eejit'.

 

[arc1]

I will. If I was youtube inclined I'd do a series of videos trying out all the methods available. Seems a gap in the market there, maybe needs suggesting to one of the channels for a bit of new content.

We would use boom and mainsheet. Can break aft section of guard rails so only need to get them to deck level (failing that would just cut guard rails as suggested). Main sheet is on a caribeaner style clip so easy to undo and can clip onto harness. Fully battened mainsail with a few reasonable cars comes down without assistance (if not tidy).
Have practiced this - MoB from the water whilst at anchor and from an alongside dingy whilst at sea. Freeboard not too high so managed to clip person on but benign conditions - like idea of dynema loop on LJ to make easier. Family sailing we all managed to haul each other up, 11 yo needed to lead mainsheet to primary winch and struggled to pull me inboard and control lowering but managed it in end (was bruised for a while as dumped onto deck!).
Need to get everyone to practice rigging preventer and thinking about control of boom for less than ideal conditions as haven't given this enough thought.

 

[Sandydog2]

We tried a recovery with a pretending to be unconscious casualty. The lightest person on board (me at about 60 kg) in calm conditions and warm seas. There were 3 other crew. Everything they tried was a failure and took far too long to organise. With the equipment we had then we decided the only chance might be to launch the liferaft and try to drag the body into that.

 

[srm]

With the equipment we had then we decided the only chance might be to launch the liferaft and try to drag the body into that.

Another reason to attend a Sea Survival course. There is an effective way of getting an unconscious (or conscious) casualty into a liferaft but it requires two people in the raft. Easier if it has been practiced beforehand.

 

[Sandydog2]

Another reason to attend a Sea Survival course. There is an effective way of getting an unconscious (or conscious) casualty into a liferaft but it requires two people in the raft. Easier if it has been practiced beforehand.

Yes I've done that since and really enjoyed it. We rarely have more than two of us on board though so "don't fall in" is very much our plan.

 

[jane444blue]

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

+fire PLB

 

[srm]

I have sailed solo a lot and rigged jackstays on the coachroof so that, combined with a short tether, I could not fall over the guardrail.
In the waters around the north of Britain I doubt that even using a PLB I would survive long enough for a third party to rescue me.

 

[Adios]

I have sailed solo a lot and rigged jackstays on the coachroof so that, combined with a short tether, I could not fall over the guardrail.

why nearly everyone accepts something less is the mystery.

How does it work from the cockpit? It seems like the issue of getting around the sprayhood befuddles people so much that they just give up trying to do something better than running the jackstay up the side decks.

 

[srm]

Jackstays ran from deck eyes forward of the sprayhood and tether was left attached on jackstay at sea. There is a short period of exposure as you move around the sprayhood with a longer tether to the cockpit, but this can be timed to the sea conditions. I did consider a handrail on the sprayhood but did not get around to fitting them. Tethers changed over on passing sparayhood.
In good conditions I was confident to move around the deck relying on handholds. The tethers were used in lively conditions.

 

[Adios]

Jackstays ran from deck eyes forward of the sprayhood and tether was left attached on jackstay at sea. There is a short period of exposure as you move around the sprayhood with a longer tether to the cockpit, but this can be timed to the sea conditions. I did consider a handrail on the sprayhood but did not get around to fitting them. Tethers changed over on passing sparayhood.
In good conditions I was confident to move around the deck relying on handholds. The tethers were used in lively conditions.

that sounds like a sound method. And everyone is saying the most likely dangerous point is when the hands are busy doing a job once forward on the deck, both hands can be holding on while getting there

 

[srm]

everyone is saying the most likely dangerous point is when the hands are busy doing a job once forward on the deck,

It is. I would use a tether to brace myself while working, even if using handholds to get from and back to the cockpit. My current boat has a raised deck salon so I have thigh height hand rails to the working area at the mast then tether to the mast while working.
On a couple of previous boats the shrouds went to the gunwhale so I fitted three ratlines above the top guardrail to act as a safety net around the mast. Never needed to catch a fall but often useful when moored alongside a pier.