MOB solo self rescue

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

Some interesting ideas.. Another is to tie the last chance line to fishing line to boat then to the tiller. So if you pull hard the fishing line breaks and pulls the rudder hard over.

It is also no problem to set the autopilot to turn into the wind by remote even to have a heartbeat remote for this purpose that the autopilot triggers if out of range.


The problem with all of these systems is, like lifelines they can potentially not work as intended. So having a last chance line increases your chances of falling because of perceived safety.

Exactly..
But you will always have the 100% safety self decievers.

[lestersails]

Originally Posted by John L. Cwierz

Dear friends cruisers all,
Recently I saw a video where Robert Redford was the main protagonist. Picture's name: All is Lost.
He plays the part of a stupid sailor who does not know his priorities.
His boat was holed by a floating container, and instead of keeping the water out, he goes out and just does stupid things. Believe me, I got so disgusted seeing this flick, when time and again he was not doing the things correctly.
First. You should keep YOURSELF IN your boat at all times, and try to stay in it to the extreme that the whole mast is under water. Then, and only then are you allowed to think about the life-raft. But the poor sob didn't know that the best way to get water out of a boat is with a BUCKET. Poor ****. I'm so sorry for the person who wrote this script for his interpretation.
YOUR BEST LIFE RAFT IS YOUR BOAT. TRY TO STAY IN IT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
The safety harnesses should be tied to the boat when solo at all times, and if you press me, even when you are getting some sleep. It is just a NO NO, YOU just do not find yourself overboard. When I got my bit of sailing, during 63 days from Marathon to Chipiona, through Azores(Horta)had my safety harness on and clipped onto the steel wire that stretched from bow to stern, and that was when I was transvassing the water from the watermaker to the water tank. Got TO BE VERY CAREFUL, YOU ARE SOLO.

Hi John,
Sorry, but this movie is not really about sailing.
It is a metaphor for life. They would not make a big budget movie on the ins and outs of solo sailing techniques for the general movie-going public. I think we all know the wider public is not interested in this. What happens to the sailor (which is all of our eventual fates) is the core of the movie and the circumstances were arranged to illustrate that fate, in a metaphorical manner. I admire the script writers because what they did a pretty good job leaving out a number of the things (like EPIRB) that might have saved him.
Take it as a HUGE positive that a director can get people in a theater looking at a sailboat for 2 hrs - a fantastic opportunity for each of us to have a conversation with non-sailors about sailing!
Les

[boatman61]

Naah.. Its just a movie about self pity and hopelessness.. all it lacked was a coconut..

[cucu belle]

why wouldn't you use the gear you should have on board. like the Jack lines and saftey harness. getting back onto a vessel at sea, especially one that is moving, impossible. keep yourself on board

[jen1722terry]

Wow, this thread is really evolving!

Anyhow, I'm with cucu belle: use your harness and tether religiously. Keep the tethers so short you can't go over the lifelines. Yeah, it's a pain the use short tethers when going forward, but it can be done with practice and some well-placed attachment points. The most dangerous place may be the foredeck, for you're so close to the lifelines. I would work on my knees up there and tether to the bow cleat, which is centered on the deck.

Even though I had a MOB system (described earlier) that should work in theory, I always assumed the best option was to avoid a MOB and stay on the boat.

Was it on this thread that someone posted photos of an interesting design for crotch straps for a harness? Not sure. Anyhow, I want to try them, for I'm not optimistic about lifting with just a PFD harness for someone that is very slender or very large. May slip out of the harness if it can't be really cinched down.

Great thread!

Terry
Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia
Kearsarge, NH

[jsanton]

OK, I actually started a company with the intention of delivering such desired product. I do believe it's doable. I have a number of patents in motion control that prove I can do what looks impossible.
For my first incarnation I came up with a PC based autopilot. Captains simply didn't want to buy an autopilot from a garage shop. So I shut the company down. Monday morning quarterbacking is highly discouraged at this point.
I'm thinking to lend my talent to the pypilot open source autopilot to add this capability. But, retirement life has so many wonderful opportunities that I haven't been highly motivated.
In the meantime, keep your lifelines out, your tether short. Drag a safety line if you're crossing an ocean. And look forward to a day when the boat will come get you.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by jen1722terry

... Was it on this thread that someone posted photos of an interesting design for crotch straps for a harness? Not sure. Anyhow, I want to try them, for I'm not optimistic about lifting with just a PFD harness for someone that is very slender or very large. May slip out of the harness if it can't be really cinched down....

November Practical Sailor. These were drop-tested, much like a climbing harness, but much lighter and more comfortable.



https://www.practical-sailor.com/iss...s_12518-1.html

[De.windhoos]

I didn't read the whole thread, but if you fall overboard when solo sailing you are dead.
Having a Personal locator device just makes it easier for somebody to find your corps.
Having a safety line trailing your boat is nonsense. A quick calculation; Lets say you've got a 40' boat and fall of the bow at 6 knots. that means that in 4 seconds the stern of the boat will pass you by. towing an 80 ft rope means you'll have 12 seconds from the moment you hit the water before the rope passes you by. So in 12 seconds you need to orient yourself, stop panicking and find the rope.

when you are tethered and fall overboard its almost impossible to hoist yourself onboard doing 6 knots. Even if you aren't concussed.

So as several people stated earlier, make sure that your jackstays are rigged in such a way that in combination with your tether you cannot fall overboard. There is a nice article on this here

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by cucu belle

why wouldn't you use the gear you should have on board. like the Jack lines and saftey harness. getting back onto a vessel at sea, especially one that is moving, impossible. keep yourself on board

I think EVERYONE agrees that staying on the boat is job one. I'm a big proponent of hard points, tethers, jacklines, and harnesses. That said... I don't always use them and mistakes can happen. Sometimes I worry more about tripping over my own feet than stormy weather.


For an interesting experience, do a real MOB drill, where you jump off a boat under full sail. It's creepy how fast it becomes small in the distance. Then observe how much trimming and adjustment is required to get the boat back to the sailor; fully crewed boats typically take 10-20 minutes in good conditions. It's not as simple as steering-only or heaving to and throwing a lifesling.



Do MOB drills! You'll be surprised the things you learn.

[lestersails]

Originally Posted by thinwater

I think EVERYONE agrees that staying on the boat is job one. I'm a big proponent of hard points, tethers, jacklines, and harnesses. That said... I don't always use them and mistakes can happen. Sometimes I worry more about tripping over my own feet than stormy weather.


For an interesting experience, do a real MOB drill, where you jump off a boat under full sail. It's creepy how fast it becomes small in the distance. Then observe how much trimming and adjustment is required to get the boat back to the sailor; fully crewed boats typically take 10-20 minutes in good conditions. It's not as simple as steering-only or heaving to and throwing a lifesling.



Do MOB drills! You'll be surprised the things you learn.

Yes, yes, yes! Though I would amend 'creepy' to 'terrifying'.

[thinwater]

Singlehanded MOB rescue by stopping the boat with a chute:

https://www.practical-sailor.com/iss...e_12534-1.html


I've done this at over 10 knots dozens of times on a variety of boats. If the chute and line are properly engineered, the boat stops within a few seconds, motor on or sails still up, without fuss.



(the line was not fully deployed at this point--it was still running out. 150 feet is a good minimum, since it can easily take 75 feet to get to it.)







Yes, staying onboard is much better. But you asked.