Is the MOB Pole Obsolete?

[HeartsContent]

Most underestimate how easy it is to lose someone even in light seas - we heard this over and over in the Coast Guard. You need something visual to help keep track of them. This is interesting as it's pretty simple and you can toss it to where they are.

Inflatable Overboard Pole
PLASTIMO Inflatable Overboard Pole at West Marine

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by HeartsContent

Most underestimate how easy it is to lose someone even in light seas - we heard this over and over in the Coast Guard. You need something visual to help keep track of them. This is interesting as it's pretty simple and you can toss it to where they are.

Inflatable Overboard Pole
PLASTIMO Inflatable Overboard Pole at West Marine

I like the idea of the reflective tape. Thanks! I'll be adding that to my 20 YO pole.

[Boracay]

We have an orange horseshoe buoy on Boracay. Clips onto the rail. Quick release with a rope on a cleat.

On a very busy crowded part of the boat it does not get in the way, unlike a Dan Buoy.

Maybe not as good at marking a position but if I were to be in the water for more than a few minutes I'd prefer the horseshoe.

Offshore we wear lifejackets and clip ourselves on. Where I worry about is more like a situation where we have a few drinks at anchor and a poor swimmer goes overboard.

NSW Maritime does not require Dan Buoys, and no longer requires liferings/horseshoe buoys.

[Lagoon4us]

AYF rules in Australia are that the horseshoe is connected to the danbouy it can all be deployed in a minute good for everyone except single handers!

[CFR]

The Pole is nice to have but who should throw it ? we are only 2 onboard and i am 100% sure if one is falling the other one is sleeping or down in the boat. even if we are both on deck we have a center cockpit and i do not want to leave the cockpit walk to the stern and lossing 1 minute to throw the pole, better immidatly hit the MOB button on the GPS, stop/turn the boat, start the engine and reduce sail while turning. i would consider throwing the epirb overboard because it is near the helm, easy to thro and mon over board is a situation where the epirb should/can be used.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by HeartsContent

Most underestimate how easy it is to lose someone even in light seas - we heard this over and over in the Coast Guard. You need something visual to help keep track of them. This is interesting as it's pretty simple and you can toss it to where they are.

Inflatable Overboard Pole
PLASTIMO Inflatable Overboard Pole at West Marine

That looks pretty useful and priced better than a MOM8.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Lagoon4us

AYF rules in Australia are that the horseshoe is connected to the danbouy it can all be deployed in a minute good for everyone except single handers!

1 minute helm to launch and back to proper steering for a newly minted singlehander in bad conditions (maybe a wild gybe or a rough wave) is optimistic, at best. At 8kts the 1 min will put you 810 feet away or 2.7 American football fields - almost 250 meters. That is a long way to before starting your turn back.

[sww914]

We have a MOB pole with 50' of yellow nylon rope going to a horseshoe buoy and a strobe. Throw the pole or the buoy and the whole mess comes off of the boat. The 50' is so that the MOB has something to grab.
The strobe came with the boat, the horseshoe buoy came out of the trash, I bought the mount for $5.00, and a singlehander gave me the MOB pole. Singlehanders don't need a MOB pole.
We also have a MOB button on our GPS and our ipad nav program.
All this goes with life vests w/ strobes & whistles, jacklines & lifelines.
Sorry, we don't have $600.00 for 3 plb's.

[Roy M]

I like this idea from Switlik, the MOM 9. Now if it only came with the electrolyte refresher six-pack and iPod tune package... Rescue crew pulls a lanyard to deploy. MOB victim climbs into raft, inserts headphones, pulls ring tab on seawater temperature brew, settles back to enjoy the rest of the show.

[minaret]

I recently installed a MOM-9. Just pull the pin to blow it. Much better than a pole. Getting the MO out of the water and into a raft will dramatically increase survivability. Worth every penny, especially on a boat which has children aboard like mine. Bought it right here on CF classifieds.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by minaret

I recently installed a MOM-9. Just pull the pin to blow it. Much better than a pole. Getting the MO out of the water and into a raft will dramatically increase survivability. Worth every penny, especially on a boat which has children aboard like mine. Bought it right here on CF classifieds.

I like the MOM8 and 9s. The thing I don't like about them is the annual inspection that is supposed to occur in a life-raft inspection shop.If they would package these with a 3 year inspection like most life-rafts, I think I'd buy one. I did have a MOM8 on my last boat.

[Jammer Six]

How far are we from a magical/electronic band that clips to each crew's PFD and screams "here I am! Here I am!" to the AIS-plotter-radar system?

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Jammer Six

How far are we from a magical/electronic band that clips to each crew's PFD and screams "here I am! Here I am!" to the AIS-plotter-radar system?

Not far at all. My dogs e-collar has a directional finder, maybe install one on each crew member? Then you can zap them when they misbehave too!

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by Jammer Six

How far are we from a magical/electronic band that clips to each crew's PFD and screams "here I am! Here I am!" to the AIS-plotter-radar system?

Here ya go! If'n ya got the $$$$>>>> SafeLink R10

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by Roy M

Yes. Now, if only someone can come up with one that has an LED strobe, an AIS transmitter, and a waterproof sound system with refreshments to reduce anxiety awaiting rescue.

I saw a McMurdo product at the Toronto boat show on the weekend that looked like a wearable AIS beacon.

It resembled this: Smartfind S5 AIS SART - McMurdo Marine | EPIRB | PLB | AIS Beacon | AIS Electronics | VHF Radio | NAVTEX

but it looked light enough to wear on a PFD. This is a rapidly changing field with a lot of overlap, however: if you fall off at night, do you want a proximity to boat sensor that wakes the crew, an AIS SART that makes you visible to an AIS (but only within line of sight), a danbuoy with AIS or some transceiver that is six feet higher and lit, or a PLB that allows SAR personnel to find you, assuming the vest stays inflated and the sharks distant?

What if you are solo? I've heard fanciful talk of using the new Garmin Quatix "watch" to steer the boat to you...good luck if you were under power at the time!

I don't think there is any one answer. If you fall off in the middle of the ocean, the flyboys aren't coming. You are, if with other crew, wanting to be hauled back aboard. A danbuoy, if you've lashed on to one or can swim to it, gives light, buoyancy and something to cling to. I tend to laugh at the idea of a moonless, windy night at sea being defeated by a tiny LED at sea level...you spend much of your time out of sight behind swells, and it is not always obvious where to look. A danbuoy is a cheap, effective way to increase your chances. Of course, so is a tether.

Being interested (as apparently are most sailors) in improved safety at sea, I've discussed some MOB gear issues in my blog here:
The world encompassed: The realities of self-rescue on a sailboat

and more recently, here: http://alchemy2009.blogspot.ca/2012/02/self-rescue-more-reality-checking.html

My time spent offshore is limited compared to some, and my thoughts are evolving, so I welcome "real life" input to aid my learning.

But, no, the MOB pole is not, in my view, obsolete. As we saw from the recent grounding of the U.S. Navy minesweeper, maybe the lead line isn't, either.