Person Overboard! Sailing Rescue Techniques


Most one man-overboard drills usually consist of throwing over a
cushion and returning to pick it up by the strap. A good sized
fireplace log is a better way to do the practice because it is
much more awkward to get aboard. There are four important steps
to retrieving a person who has gone overboard. The first is to
return without delay to a position near the victim. The second
is to maneuver your boat close enough so you connect him or her
to the boat. The third is to get the person aboard, and the
fourth is to see that they are ok. The moment someone goes over
the side, a boat cushion or life preserver should be tossed to
him/her. Make sure to keep him/her in sight, and as the distance
widens, it is increasingly important to maintain visual contact.
Even when you are alone on the boat, keeping the victim in sight
is second only to getting the boat back to him. Everything
becomes more practical as you get in closer proximity to the
person in the water. Here are three methods of rescue.


Method One...This method involves jibing to rescue the person
over board. Only do this in light winds to avoid capsizing.
Remember to stay in constant communication with the victim.
1.When a person falls overboard, immediately yell "Crew
Overboard!" 2.Next, throw a flotation device toward the victim
and keep a close eye on them.3.Jibe the boat. 4.Now quickly head
up to a close-hauled course. 5.Retrieve the person on the
windward side of the boat. Let the mainsail out to stop.


Method Two... If the wind is too strong to jibe the boat, then
tacking in a figure eight is a good way to go. Remember to stay
in constant communication with the victim. 1.When a person falls
overboard, immediately yell "Crew Overboard!" 2.Head on a broad
reach for about 15 to 20 seconds. Keep your eyes on the
victim.3. Then come about and head up. 4.Go beyond the victim
and come about again, proceeding on a broad reach. 5.Head up to
the leeward side of the person and let the mainsail out.


Method Three...The Quick Stop maneuver is a new, widely
recommended method that calls for the boat to go head-to-wind as
soon as a person goes in the water. The jib is backed to further
reduce speed while the continues turning until the wind is abaft
the beam. The course is stabilized on a beam- to broad-reach for
two or three boatlengths, then altered to nearly dead downwind.
If the wind is light, you can tack immediately after the person
falls overboard and leave the jib cleated. Remember to stay in
constant communication with the victim. 1. First,immediately
yell "Person Overboard!" and toss them a flotation device.2.
Keeping an eye on the victim, immediately come about and
backwind the jib by leaving it cleated. 3. Let the mainsail out
so that it luffs and drifts towards the victim. 4.Let the
mainsail all the way out and uncleat the jib. All these methods
are good and each will benefit from practice. Most practice
sessions are held in calm water onclear days, which is rarely
the condition in which a man-overboard emergency will occur, so
think about handling the situation in a storm, or at night, or
in fog. The wise sailor reviews his plans for handling
man-overboard scenarios every time he goes aboard a boat. He
applies his plan to the conditions prevailing whenever he goes
on deck. When a crew member goes in the water there should be no
delay in starting the best retrieval method. Many safety
authorities believe that the victim should be picked up on the
windward side, but I believe that with a sailboat the leeward
side is likely to be both lower and more sheltered, with the
boom readily available as a mounting for the hoisting block. As
the boat drifts to leeward it will drift away from a victim who
is to weather, but will remain close to the victim to leeward.
Watch out, though, to make sure that the boat bouncing in a
seaway does not slam down on top of the swimmer. Resist the
temptation to have someone go in the water to help the victim -
you may lose two people. If the person in the water is unable to
help himself you then may have to send a spare person into the
water to help. In this case make surethere is a line securely
attaching the boat and the would-be rescuer. Plan ahead how you
are going to get this person back aboard. Of course the more you
know about how your boat behaves under differing circumstances,
the better will be your performance in any emergency. Picking up
a mooring under sail, particularly in winds over 30 knots,
teaches you a lot that you can use to save a friend's life. At
all times handle your sails at racing speed. Whenever you can,
practice and think about what you are going to do in a
man-overboard situation. The seconds you save may be important
in an emergency.


About the author:
Linda Cullum is from Cape Cod, MA, with a second home in
Vermont. She is the author of Learn to Sail! with Multimedia! a
Sailing training CDROM/DVD which teaches all aspects of Sailing
including Knots, Piloting, Rules of the Road, Weather with
digital video from Sail Magazine, narration, animation and
quizzes.


Click here
to visit her site! Happy Sailing_/)__