MOB in South Atlantic during Clipper RTW race

[sec906]

"On-board camera footage from a yacht captures the moment Arthur Bowers fell into the South Atlantic ocean during a storm...[while] taking part in the 35,000-mile Clipper Round the World yacht race."

Video: BBC News - Yachtsman overboard in South Atlantic storm

Full story and commentary at:

Sail-World.com : MOB! - the Hull and Humber incident

[DaveOnCudjoe]

Reading this account is sobering, sadly, I'm not prepared. I would watch my boat sail away with my girlfriend not having a clue how to react. Dave
P.S. After a short discussion she has a clue, but we need to practice.

[Blue Stocking]

Often wondered why the areas adjacent to cockpit and foredeck are not safety netted on the lifelines. These 2 locations are where the crew are most likely to be more attentive to sailing tasks and not focused on keeping a good grip. Too often we go under, through, or over the "lifelines".

And for you "he-man" sailors, I am aware of:

A. "thats what harnesses are for"
B. "girly sailing" mindset
C. "if you can't handle the danger, don't go out there"

[imagine2frolic]

It's just a blink of the eye, and you are gone. I was lucky my harness yanked me back onto the boat before I even hit the water while single-handing. My HARNESS is my FRIEND............I2F

[Blue Stocking]

You don't always need heavy weather conditions to send you over the lines.
During Antigua Race Week a friend was attaching the sheets on a No.2 after doing an inside raise against the No.1. Was bracing himself against the No.1 when the sheet parted. Instantly over the rail.
Said he didn,t know what scared him most-- going over the lines backwards, or watching a plunging 7ft tall stem creep up on him for the retrieval.

i2f, picking up my 5-point Simpsons soon for the snake.

[imagine2frolic]

Blu Stocking,

Do you have pics over at CC? I am going to have to wander over there, and take a peek if you do!........i2f

[s/v Moondancer]

That was a full experienced crew with at least one pro onboard and it took 17 minutes in daylight!!!

We do MOB drills for a couple of hours at least 3 to 4 times a year and, Dave, we even did them when we had a F31...just teach her to stall the boat and furl the jib so that you can swim back...if you are conscious.

We have a 'positive clip-on' rule. We use a transfer teather to transition from the cockpit to the bottom of the companionway and back.

[barnakiel]

I am nearly always clipped in. Exceptions:

-calm, no swell,
-light weather, two in the cockpit,
-impossible or dangerous to clip in.

I met sailors who claim that being clipped in lessens one's attention to holding on and moving about in a safe manner. I partly share this view.

b.

[imagine2frolic]

I don't think it lessens your attention. As much as it a WEE BIT of annoyance. The alternative is not what I want to experience again.........i2f

[hpeer]

FWIW I try to stay clipped in whenever on deck, just so that I get into and stay into the habit.

I have found myself working on a jammed furler and when I went to unclip found I had not clipped in at all.

Nothing dramatic but still, alone, in cold water, waves slapping my feet on the bow sprit.

I now clip a spare line up there just so I have to crawl over it to get to the sprit.

Then again, I can see being clipped in and washed over and not able to get back on and dragged until oblivion.

Hummm, let me see........nets start to look good.

[capcook]

Wow, pretty shocking to see how easily that happened... I wonder if they executed the "Figure 8" routine that ASA advocates... Has anyone ever tried that in a real life situation... I don't think I could do it... I would think dropping sales coming about and using motors to circle the target would make more sense... you could throw a floating line off the back and eventually it would come next to the target...

I know my wife and kids could not pull this off... at least not yet, we'll have to work on that once we get sailing...

Cheers

[cal40john]

Originally Posted by capcook

Wow, pretty shocking to see how easily that happened... I wonder if they executed the "Figure 8" routine that ASA advocates... Has anyone ever tried that in a real life situation... I don't think I could do it... I would think dropping sales coming about and using motors to circle the target would make more sense... you could throw a floating line off the back and eventually it would come next to the target...

I know my wife and kids could not pull this off... at least not yet, we'll have to work on that once we get sailing...

Cheers

There are newer techniques promoted now. The LifeSling seems to be a good way for relatively inexperienced short handed crew to do a man overboard recovery.

As far as motoring back, be very careful, IIRC Rousmaniere reports that in one year of USCG stats all 8 MOBs attempted recoveries of sailboat under power failed, 7 due to lines getting in the propellor

I've practiced the old methods so much that I was really disapointed with how badly it went when I tried the quick stop method. What I haven't practiced yet is using my Life Sling.

US Sailing Crew Overboard tests and results. Power, Sail, and Multihull.
http://www.ussailing.org/safety/Studies/COB.pdf

Quick Stop and Quick stop with Life Sling
Appendix D


Videos of Quck Stop and other safety issues (but with full racing crews)
Have to supply an email address to view.
Login - UK-Halsey Sailmakers

[rustypirate]

I think we all agree that beeing "clipped in" is the obvious safest method, however as this video shows, all it takes is that few seconds between beeing clipped and beeing below to ruin your whole day.

From the narrative, Bowers was coming off watch and maneuvering to the companionway when he was flipped overboard. This could have happened to any of us.

Personally I would seriously reconsider the design of that cockpit. Way too much space across for someone to fall, and not much depth to keep the crew inside. They could not properly brace for the angle of heel that occured when the wave gave the boat a shove.

Here is a screen shot form eleven seconds into the video:

The cockpit well is easily three feet across, while the well depth to the seats is at knee height. The seat back tops are flush with the deck, porviding an all-in-all perfect setup for throwing the man across an open space, cutting his knees out from under him, and laying him flat on his stomach below the level of the lifelines.

See here (page 124) for more on cockpit designs of offshore yachts:
http://books.google.com/books?id=pee...age&q=&f=false

[maxingout]

I have a very long spinnaker halyard that is much longer than it needs to be for use with the spinnaker. One of the purposes of the long halyard is to use it to hoist someone back on board in a man overboard situation.

I have the option of someone coming up the sugar scoops on the stern, or I can hoist him from any location around the boat using the spare spinnaker halyard.

[sec906]

Originally Posted by rustypirate

...as this video shows, all it takes is that few seconds between beeing clipped and beeing below to ruin your whole day...

A double-tether would eliminate those few seconds, so you are always clipped with one clip or the other, for example: Wichard ORC Bermuda Race Tether