Man Over Board Procedures and Equipment

"MAN OVERBOARD"

Two words no boater ever wants to hear but everybody who ventures away from shore on a boat must ready to react to. Executing a successful M.O.B. rescue will depend on a number of factors working for you. First and probably foremost is being prepared. And being prepared starts on the shore before you get anywhere near your vessel.

That you are reading this article shows you are serious about being a responsible skipper and already understand the concept of forward planning. But how do you go about preparing your vessel, your crew and yourself for a Man Overboard (MOB) event?

First and foremost wear lifejackets and when someone does fall in toss anything that foats in after them. Here are some floatation devices.

The main goal and my purpose for presenting this article is to attempt to arm you with the necessary information you will need to prepare for a M.O.B. By reading this article, by considering the validity of what I am preaching and hopefully adopting these procedures you should be in a very strong position to affect an efficient rescue.

Other factors you need working for you include, your ability to control and maneuver your vessel in different weather conditions and sea states, and your early detection of a M.O.B.

One thing I will say is that I do not consider myself an expert in this field. I do not have all the answers for all the scenarios. This article has been written to try and provide you with a basic understanding of how you can best prepare yourself for a M.O.B. I strongly recommend that before and after you try the method I have detailed below, talk to other skippers in your area, get their opinions, find out how others do it. Because of the dynamics of this scenario, the more information you gather the better prepared you will be.

EQUIPMENT A quick trip to the chandlery here or a GOOGLE search for "MOB Equipment" will be worthwhile. Not surprisingly there is a good variety of MOB equipment available to suit most vessel types and budget. Have a look at other well prepared vessels and have a chat to their skippers if you can. I will give you an idea of the generic type of equipment you should consider but because I don't know your vessel type, or the waterways you travel through I am loath to be too specific.

2. Floatation Devices. The cry goes out, "Man Over Board" and this should be the signal to start tossing! Toss anything that floats overboard. At this point all that person in the water wants to see is something floating to grab a hold of. Given the crew has been properly briefed someone is working hard and fast to get a Dan Buoy in the water and some else is pressing the MOB button on your GPS but don't let that stop you throwing out your cushion seat, a fender or anything else that is arms reach that floats. Just get the stuff in the water.

3. Dan Buoy. This is indeed a fancy name for a stick that will float standing upright in the water. Next add a flag on top at a height of about 2 meters and presto you have Dan Buoy. You can buy these at many stores, I have added a link to one of my favourites but it's a bit pricey and looks nothing like the first one I made for myself. All I did was take a 3 meter fiberglass fishing pole and add stuff to it. I added a fisherman's float at the one meter mark. I added a shakle and attached 30 meters of floating fluro line. I added some lead on the bottom to make it float upright (not so much it sinks O.K.!!). I added an orange flag on top and then I strapped on a US$7 strobe light every time I went out. Worked like a charm. I really like having a strobe light and orange light on top as it REALLY makes it so much easier to keep your eye on the MOB whilst maneuvering into position for a pick up. Oh, and no harm tying on a dye bag that will stain the water flouro green which makes it real easy to see from a chopper.

4. Sea Dye Marker- This marker bag is filled with a fluorescent green dye which spreads over the surface of the water and makes it so much easier for a chopper to see the man over board. I have seen these from the air and I can promise you they are great. The bright green pattern on the water can be seen from quite a distance and lasts for 30 to 40 minutes. Wind and the choppiness of the water will affect the shape of the pattern. Also if thrown from the vessel they can give an indication of drift.

5. Personal EPIRB - (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons) are completely self-contained radio transmitters designed for emergency use. These units can be activated manually or automatically. Once switched on they transmit an internationally recognised distress signal transmitted via 406MHz and on VH Frequency 121.5. The best are the newer models which transmit at 406 MHz and within these get the ones that have a built in GPS. The 406MHz with built in GPS need to be registered with the local authority but it's worth the trouble. Once they go off they alert the rescue team not only that someone is in trouble but WHO is in trouble where they live and an emergency contact number. This level of detail eliminates all concern of an accidentally switched on Epirb and the rescue goes into operation full swing and very fast. The latest models will typically get the rescue team to you within 30 meters! I carry one for my boat and one for each crew member.

6. MOB Alert devices - These little monsters are great. Same principal as a lost child beeper except water proof. Someone goes over they exceed the distance and the beeper goes off. Man Over Board!

7. Rescue Sling/horsecollar - as the name implies it is a sling that assists getting anyone sad enough to fall outside the boat back into the boat.

8. Heaving Line - This is a floating (should be anyway) line say approximately 20 /30metres long and 3 mm thick which can be thrown to the victim. The line is usually prepared in some kind of tangle free weighted bag that you can throw. Once thrown the line should play out and land close to the man over board. Remember to attach one end to the vessel BUT BE SURE TO TIE A KNOT THAT CAN BE UNDONE FAST and have a KNIFE nearby. I know / knew a man who was hung by a life line tied so tight they couldn't untie it when it wrapped around his neck. The boat kept sailing into the pick up position but was dragging the guy by the neck the entire time. He died.

9. First Aid Kit - do not put to sea without one and the knowledge to use it.

I have added a link to a pretty good source. But I do strongly recommend that you do a bit of research and find the right equipment for your needs.

One should always keep in mind that, in the event of an emergency on the open seas, it is important to have as many rescue devices as practically possible on hand.

CREW BRIEFING Just as you need to train and practice MOB procedures, so do your crew. Various crew members can be assigned tasks or roles and they all should know their expected role, what maneuvering you may make and where all the emergency equipment is located how to use them. In short brief and train your crew on who does what, when, where and how. Also it is a good idea to build redundancy into the training and briefing. After all we don't know yet who is going to fall overboard. Brief your individual crew members on a variety of tasks (if not all the tasks) and instruct them that they may need to "step up" and undertake their allocated standby task.

This is also an opportunity to assess the crew's strengths and weaknesses. Who is capable of helming the vessel if you are the unfortunate one who ends up in distress, who are strong or weak swimmers, which crew members can use a GPS, navigational aids or radios and who is First Aid trained. Build up a mental database of the crew resources available to you and brief, train and allocate roles accordingly.

MOB PROCEDURES

DON'T PANIC

It sounds obvious, but for an unprepared skipper and crew, it is almost impossible to achieve.

The best way to avoid a panic situation is to be prepared. Drill your MOB procedures, train and brief your crew and have the right equipment ready. If you then do experience an MOB, you will have practiced for the event, you will know what to do, your crew will know what is be expected of them, the equipment needed will be at hand, and therefore instead of panicking you will launch into your immediate actions and MOB procedures and almost certainly affect a professional rescue. Well Done.

MAN OVERBOARD - THE QUICK STOP METHOD

There are a number of methods available for retrieving a MOB. The Quick Stop Method is considered by many as the best method of recovery. It works well and I will detail the method below, but I would caution that the method you use in a real MOB situation must consider the sea and weather conditions, the vessel limitations as well as your crew and own limitations. Remember practice make perfect and the more you and your crews drill this maneuver the more chance you have of a successful outcome.

The advantage of this method is the immediate reduction of boat speed by turning to windward and then maneuvering slowly, remaining near the victim. In most cases, this is better than reaching off, then gybing or tacking and returning on a reciprocal course.

1. Shout "man overboard" and detail a crew member to spot and point to the victim's position in the water. The spotter should not take his eyes off the victim (see Figure 1). 2. Provide immediate flotation. Throw buoyant objects such as cockpit cushions, life rings and so on. These objects may not only come to the aid of the victim, but will "litter the water" where he went overboard and help your spotter to keep him in view. Deployment of the pole and flag (Dan Buoy) requires too much time. The pole is saved to "put on top" of the victim in case the initial maneuver is unsuccessful. 3. Bring boat head-to-wind and beyond (see Figure 1). 4. Allow headsail to back and further slow the boat. 5. Keep turning with headsail backed until wind is abaft the beam. 6. Head on beam-to-broad reach course for two or three lengths then go nearly dead downwind.

7. Drop the headsail while keeping the mainsail centered (or nearly so). The jib sheets are not slacked, even during the dousing maneuver, to keep them inside the lifelines. 8. Hold the downward course until victim is abaft the beam. 9. Gybe. 10. Approach the victim on a course of approximately 45 degrees to 60 degrees off the wind. 11. Establish contact with the victim with heaving line or other device. The Naval Academy uses a "throwing sock" containing 75 feet of light floating line and a bag that can be thrown into the wind because the line is kept inside the bag and trails out as it sails to the victim. 12. Effect recovery over the windward side.

Quickstop Under Spinnaker The same procedure is used to accommodate a spinnaker. Follow the preceding instructions. As the boat comes head-to-wind and the pole is eased to the head stay, the spinnaker halyard is lowered and the sail is gathered on the fore deck. The turn is continued through the tack and the approach phase commences. Quickstop in Yawls & Ketches Experiment with your mizzen sail. During sea trials, it was found best to drop the mizzen as soon as possible during the early phases of Quick-Stop. Quickstop Using Engine Use of the engine is not essential, although it's advisable to have it running in neutral, during Quick-Stop in case it is needed in the final approach. Check first for trailing lines!

SHORTHANDED CREWS When there are only two people sailing together and a man-overboard accident occurs, the remaining crew member may have difficulty in handling the recovery alone. If the victim has sustained injuries, getting him back aboard may be almost impossible. The Quick-Stop method is simple to effect by a single hander, with only one alteration to the procedure: the addition of a floating horse collar device that doubles as a hoisting sling. The horsecollar is attached to the boat by a length of floating line three or four times the boat's length. When a crew member falls overboard the scenario should proceed as follows: 1. A cushion or other flotation is thrown while the boat is brought IMMEDIATELY head-to-wind, slowed and stopped (Figure 2 below). 2. The horsecollar is deployed by opening the bag on the stern pulpit and dropping the sling into the water. It will trail astern and draw out the line. 3. Once deployed, the boat is sailed in a wide circle around the victim with the line and sling trailing. The jib is allowed to back from head-to-wind, increasing the rate of turn. 4. Contact is established with the victim by the line and sling being drawn inward by the boat's circling motion. The victim places the horsecollar over his head and under his arms. 5. Upon contact, the boat is put head-to-wind again, the headsail is dropped to the deck and the main is doused. 6. As the boat drifts slowly backward, the crew begins pulling the sling and the victim to the boat. If necessary, a cockpit winch can be used to assist in this phase, which should continue until the victim is alongside and pulled up tightly until he is suspended in the sling (so that he will not drop out).

I sincerely hope you found this article informative and worthwhile. As previously stated I am weary of retrieving bodies from the sea. I am weary of comforting widows who are totally devastated by the loss of their loved one. If by skippers reading this article I generate food for thought, I will be happy. If by reading this article one skipper decides to give a MOB drill a go, I will be ecstatic. If one persons' life is saved, then I will have achieved my goal