December 31, 2001
Man Overboard

1) Preventing Going Overboard

We should probably begin with being honest and saying that we work on the assumption that the chances of two-handed crews being able to successfully recover a crew overboard are slim.

That's not to say it isn't possible, nor that there aren't wonderful examples of people saving their partner in the most difficult conditions. But remember too how many well known highly experienced sailors (e.g. Rob James, Eric Taberlay) have been lost overboard despite being on fully crewed yachts. So we believe that the emphasis should lie with not falling off in the first place.

Before we talk about equipment it is worth mentioning that we have established several boat rules to increase safety. For example, we never step outside the cockpit without telling the other person. So that means at night we do not go forward without waking the offwatch crew. The rule is not just there to cover going forward for sail changes etc., as it also includes pegging towels on the guard rails, peeing over the side, stepping down onto the swim step to engage or disengage the wind vane and so on. We also have a rule that only one of us moves on deck at a time. If we have to both go forward, one goes forward, hanks or holds on, then the other leaves the cockpit.

As for harnesses, we have two methods: Our oil skins have integral harnesses plus our life jackets are also harnesses (the life jackets have gas cylinders which inflate the jacket when the toggle is pulled). In warm climates we wear the latter. When we are at sea our harnesses are kept in the deckhouse so they are always readily available.

We wear harnesses when we consider the conditions and/or tasks require it. Our boat is equipped with substantial high stainless bars around the base of the main mast so unless conditions are bad we do not generally wear a harness to go forward to reef. Work on the foredeck however is more likely to require a harness.

But don't think of harnesses as just important for foredeck work. We have been harnessed on while steering, and when the boat was flattened in 80 knots of wind, we were both swept off our feet. In the cockpit we have fitted a number of pad eyes so that we can hank on as we leave the deckhouse and can always reach another pad eye with a second tether. In bad weather we also run lines between strong points to move around on.

It has been our good fortune not to have ever had to get a crew member back on board when they have slipped over the side but are still hanked on. However we have practiced our diver rescue skills on the boat, which showed just how difficult it is to manhandle a person, especially an unconscious one. Our policy therefore is not to attempt to do so but to use mechanical means instead. Boats have lots of ropes as well as cleats and winches--it may seem slower to take the time to attach ropes etc. but at least you don't end up exhausted after 15 minutes of struggling and with the person still dangling over the side.

2) Man Overboard Recovery

We practiced our man overboard recovery technique earlier this year in a big breaking sea and about 30 knots of wind, but not with a man, only our dinghy.

What was supposed to be a light-wind, largely sheltered short passage between islands turned into a 30-knot blast. Unfortunately, we were towing our dinghy. It survived OK until we turned into the wind to reef, and, when we came back around, the dinghy was caught side on to a wave and the ensuing shock as the towline tightened ripped the towing bridle off.

It had been a while since we had practiced man overboard recovery and it was good to do it in conditions such as these. Our preferred method is to come to a crash stop. This method means we stay as close to the victim as possible. As we can often be sailing at high speeds, bearing away puts too much distance between the boat and the person in the water.

EQUIPMENT

A boarding ladder massively increases the chances of getting a person back on board. Either a conscious victim can climb up the ladder or the person left on board can climb down the ladder to assist the person in the water/attach a line to them etc. We designed our ladder so that it folds down into the water and it is therefore easy to get a foot on the first rung.

Attached to the pushpit we have:

To attach to us, i.e. personal equipment:

Getting someone on board

It depends of course if the person is conscious or unconscious. A conscious victim may be able to help themselves, but even so climbing aboard a yacht from the water is no easy task. We would have the victim get into the Jon Buoy, attach that to the boat, move it to the stern and help the victim to step back on board.

An unconscious victim would be hauled aboard using a winch and halyard. That said, getting back to an unconscious victim and attaching them to the boat in anything other than a calm sea and daylight would only be achieved with more luck than judgment.

During the 80-knot knockdown mentioned above, it was only after the storm was over we began to realize that returning to collect a missing crewmember was a near-impossible task, and would put at risk the remaining crew. The thought of having to make the decision to turn around--or not--is one we dread to have to consider. Hence, staying on the boat is our prime task.