Man Overboard Recovery Systems

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by whiteH2Okayaker

What is "full wet weather gear" for sailing? If in the water does it keep you dry/warm? Can you swim fast in it? Here is what I use and if you spend time in the water you will come out dry. Gore tex is breathable and the way to go! http://www.kokatat.com/product_drysuits.asp

I am not sure how practical this product is for sailing, I just know how warm and dry you can be in water near freezing!

Well, when I used to cross from Poole to Cherbourgh in my open bridgedeck Tiki 21 & 26 I'd wear a wet suit and oil skin jacket in the colder months... getting cold..? Pour some warm water in at the neck... Lovely.
If I went over it served as an effective aid to floatation, and striping of the jacket allowed me to swim at near top speed..
Even today on small boats I use the same for foul weather.. saves on an ever growing pile of mouldering clothes... lol
And its not as Bulky

[feelsgood]

We have a 6 to 1 mast climbing kit that has a 5 metre line with a BIG carabiner on the end with a small float this is rigged at ALL times while at sea. We also always tow the inflatable. Each of us wears a type of shooting jacket with our lifejackets and in these we have, A personal flare pack (the mini flares) a H/H VHF waterproof, and a cheap GPS H/H. we practice 2x times a year in all sorts of weather and some times at night with friends aboard. With just the two of us working and the friends watching we have recovered eachother within 30 to 45 mins and the worst we tried in was a force 6 with a lifeboat filming. If one goes overboard he calls the boat on the VHF then the boat turns to the GPS possition given when the person in the water sees the yacht mast he fires a flare for exact possition and the boat gets near and lowers the floating line in the water the person in the water clips on and with the 6-1 is hauled on board in seconds> Drama over. Irecommend any one to try our method and see how simple it is and thats the secret ITS SIMPLE.

[YourOldNemesis]

...so long as the casualty is conscious. People go overboard by accident, people get knocked out/injured by accident too.

Sorry, you tow your dinghy everywhere? Don't you think there might be some conditions where towing a dinghy wasn't a good idea?

[feelsgood]

Ok First and foremost we always make every effort to stay on the yacht, and yes there might be a time when the person is injured. I dont maintain that our system is fool proof I am just relaying what WE do to recover a person from the water if concious. Yes we always tow the dinghy and in 58 years of sailing in all the oceans of the world it has never caused a problem it depends how you tow it. You could carry it ready on deck if yours is as light as ours is the choise is yours. In all the years that I have been sailing I have never fallen overboard or lost a member of crew but I would like to think that the practice we put in MIGHT help the day it happens

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by feelsgood

Ok First and foremost we always make every effort to stay on the yacht, and yes there might be a time when the person is injured. I dont maintain that our system is fool proof I am just relaying what WE do to recover a person from the water if concious. Yes we always tow the dinghy and in 58 years of sailing in all the oceans of the world it has never caused a problem it depends how you tow it. You could carry it ready on deck if yours is as light as ours is the choise is yours. In all the years that I have been sailing I have never fallen overboard or lost a member of crew but I would like to think that the practice we put in MIGHT help the day it happens

Sounds pretty damn good to me, if your gonna have a system.. tailor it to suit you and your particular needs and any limitations.
There are handicaped people out there who may find some methods very difficult if their partner were to go over the side.
With that, and other possible problems like age in mind, all opinions, methods and ideas being discussed here are brilliant...
No method is foolproof, but we can all go away with a little suggestion or something that may never have occured to us... and more importantly.. for a "Newbie" to the scene which may well result in a successful recovery should he suffer the trauma of an MOB..
Train your crew to the ability where you can trust them with your life, as they surely must trust you with theirs.
There's nothing harder on a skipper than a crew he cant trust with his life..
Loyalty demands a denial but deep down.. many are never quite sure.

[bewitched]

With just the two of us working and the friends watching we have recovered eachother within 30 to 45 mins and the worst we tried in was a force 6 with a lifeboat filming.

I'm being very critical here, and I don't mean to cause any offence - but it's not quick enough.

Should be down near 10 to 15 mins

Hans Horrevoets was swept off ABN Amro 2 a few years back - the boat was under spinnaker at the time. They took 30-40 mins to get him back on board. He was already dead.

Even strong fit men in their prime don't last long in cold water.