Man Overboard

[Mark Prouty]

Questions:

1. I'm alone with my son and he is knocked unconsious as he falls overboard. How would I get this 100 pound kid back in the boat?

2. I would do all the steps below except step 5. I would start my engine. Do you agree?

Shouldn't there be a step 6? Step 6 would explain how to get an unconsious person into the boat.

Man Overboard

1. YELL Crew Over Board to alert all crew members.

2. Throw several flotation devices to the man-over-board. This will not only aid in the flotation of the COB but also create a debris field which will aid in keeping the COB in site.

3. Once a sailor falls overboard, one or two crew members on board are assigned to be spotters and are to point at and not to lose sight of the overboard sailor. The position of the sailor and time should be marked on the chart and/or GPS. If there is a current the position of the man overboard will change with time.

4. Depending upon the number of crew left on board, one may have to let go of the jib and maneuver with the mainsail alone.

5. Unless there is insufficient wind, most authorities recommend resisting turning on the motor. Remember, the sails will continue to power the boat and stopping the sailboat with the motor running and sails up may be difficult.

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

A good move I could use some more practice in is emergency heaving-to. If you immediately point the boat straight into the wind and back the sails properly, you will drift right back onto the COB at a slow speed and not needing to start the engine. Might be better to use the first few seconds after someone falls overboard to stop the boat in its tracks (with the wind) and not get too far away. I guess if it is really windy, you will need to lower sails or you will drift too fast but its still better to do that from a heaved-to position.

[Tony D-26X_SusieQ]

I purchased one of the Life Slings when I got my boat. [The Admaral would not get on board without one.] The problem, I soon learned, was there is no place on an X where you can hang it. I solved the problem by purchasing one of those grab-rails that clamp on the side of the bathtub and clamping it to the back of the helm seat. It is white and actually looks like it belongs there. The life Sling hangs quite comforatably there, the line attaches to the stern cleat and the sling is right there where it can be reached in an instant. You do have to be careful when raising the engine or the bag gets caught under the engine head if you don't lift it out of the way.

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Can you define a "crash stop" please? Thinking about what shock said, perhaps the best strategy is to quickly roll up the genoa and then back the mainsail only. A boat can still travel forward too fast with the sails flying..especially a light boat like a Mac. Hopefully, you can back the mainsail in the same direction as your main halyard rope clutch so you can release it while still drifting back towards your target. I really need to get out and do some drills one of these days.

Lifesling seems like a good idea, especially on a boat without an open transom. Luckily, we have open transoms on our Macs which would make it much easier to retrieve someone. I have to admit I'm somewhat frugal, my captains cushion is one of those cheapie throwable cushions with a 50 ft line attached at all times. If someone goes over, I just have to throw the cushion that I'm sitting on. Also, if I'm not carrying a lot of fuel, I always keep an anchor in a fuel locker ready to throw from the stern also. Of course, in my cruising grounds, you are almost always in anchoring depth...not so in other places of course.

Oh, and having to wait for a blower to evacuate the bilge in an emergency is another good reason to never have a gasoline engine in a cruising boat. Of course, diesel smell does tend to linger longer, especially in luxurious boats with lots of fabric in them. At least with my former jet boat, you could just lift open the canopy and immediately start the engine without having to wait on the blower.

[Phil Marriott]

Hi,
check out:

http://www.ussailing.org/safety/Studies ... dstudy.htm

This outlines a study where they review a 'quick stop' and a conventional recovery - the quick stop involves rounding up into the wind and slowing the boat, remaining in the immediate area of the overboard. The conventional approach is generally to bear away, then tack or gybe in a circle to return to the initial point.

The difficult part is hauling a person back on board. They're really heavy, and often too exhausted to help themselves. The Mac is pretty high-sided, and I'd be hard pressed to get back on board other than at the stern, I think.....
There are nets available to assist with 'rolling' a person back on board - but they need practice to get the technique right, and they still require a fair degree of strength. I like the look of that life sling, though...

Life Sling Procedure:

The procedure eventually worked out by SF is as follows, (taking a no-spinnaker case for illustration):

Immediately turn the boat into the wind to reduce or kill way. Release the sling, which is permanently attached to a strong point on the boat by a 150-foot (minimum) floating tether line.

Fill sails and tack, leaving the jib aback. Sling tether line pays out from stuff bag.

Sail circles around the victim until contact is made. (This usually takes one or two circles, and, in quite rare cases, more).

Head to wind and drop sails.

Haul the victim alongside, preferably on the windward side, from amidships to the quarter wherever there are available cleats and winches. Pull up on the tether line, with winch assistance if necessary, to get the victims head and shoulders out of the water, and cleat it. The victim is now safe.

Attach a 3 or 4 part tackle to a halyard, haul it up to a predetermined point, high enough so that the victim can be hoisted up and over the lifelines, and secure the halyard. Attach the lower end of the tackle to the (previously-sized) loop in the tether line that passes through the D-rings of the sling, and hoist aboard, using a winch on the fall if needed. On larger boats, the winches available may be sufficient to hoist the victim aboard by the halyard alone without the aid of the tackle. If the halyard winches are too small, a sheet winch can be used. Making the halyard tail long enough to reach such a winch makes this quite easy.


It looks like practice is the key.


cheers
Phil.

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Out alone with my 100 lb son who is now floating unconsious? I would drop all the sails and start the motor, no question. I want to be able to stop the boat and to circle easily. I want full control, who wants to screw with sails in this situation. Furling the jib and dropping the main is very quick. Just stuff it in the hatch, clean up later or in my case stuff it in the front dodger window.

I would throw our life ring right away as an additional marker.

Once turned around under power I would deploy our life sling. You just circle the victim like bringing the tow line to a skier. We have practiced with it a couple times.

However, if he is really unconcious, I would suspect I would need to bring the boat real close and probably go partway in the water myself to get the lifesling around him and under his arms. My mainsheet has quick releases at each end and can be attached to a halyard for the final lift on board.

I think everyone should have a Lifesling II on their mac. At $99 they are cheap and fit perfectly on the aft pulpit using the standard velcro that comes on the bag. If you can afford it, go for the inflatable one as it's even smaller and has a nice hard case.

[Rich Smith]

Has anyone given any thought to using the boom and mainsheet to assist in hauling a person up when using the lifesling? I know that this is commonly used on other sailboats but I worry that the boom/mast may be a bit too flimsy to haul up a 200 pound person. I also wonder if you could maneuver the person around to the motor (turn off the motor first of course) and use the hydralics to help lift them out of the water.