MOB Man Overboard! Volvo Team Sun Hung Kai Scallywag

[thinwater]

I'm assuming they were using work station tethers? I notice John has a tether on in the video the day before, but that it is wrapped behind his back, which is common practice to keep it away from grinding and out from under your feet.

It appears to be a single Spinlock tether but with a Kong hook (they are using these on the Performance Lines, which seems to be new since the gibb-style clip failed in a spectacular manner on a Clipper boat). World Sailing Rules requires they have double tethers, but it's not clear to me that they are using them. The second tether is in the way, so it appears they are using a single tether combined with work station tethers. That should be just as good or better... if you are clipped in. I think we can all imagine multiple reasons for why he was been unclipped at the the wrong moment.

[estarzinger]

Originally Posted by Flagman101

These boats are very very complicated to maneuver.

They race these boats inshore in tight quarters. The boats can definitely maneuver smartly (I have been on one).
And they had an accidental jibe, which means the main was NOT prevented, which means that so long as someone looked after the runners properly they 'should have' been able to make any of the standard MOB maneuvers pretty much immediately.

I personally dont find 'the boat is complicated' a compelling argument for not being able to execute a mob maneuver smartly when under reduced plain sail.

Originally Posted by thinwater

This is me 4 hours into a dry suit testing the ice. Granted, the weather is nice and I'm mostly just bored. Notice how I am floating.

Yes, I carried a three dry suits, and floated decently high in all of them when I had not purged the air. My kayaking dry suit had 'compression' legs, which mean the air pocket was all up in the chest, which kept me floating right way up. The other two (musto, and a proper diving drysuit) did not do that, and as you say could have a lot of air in the legs requiring some active work to stay oriented in the water.

When we were down in the southern ocean I spent several nights in my bunk off watch thinking about what I would do if I came on watch and my wife was nowhere to be found. One question I pondered was how long I would search for her. My conclusion was 10 days. I felt when I went back to tell her father she was lost I wanted to look him in the eye and honestly say I had done everything I could and for me that was 10 days. She would be long dead by then of course even in a dry suit, but even getting a sight of the body would be worthwhile for me and for her parents and that (again for me) was sure worth the time searching.

[thinwater]

I'm an idiot and forgot to post the dry suit image!

The testing was for Good Old Boat article last year, and included all of the USCG requirements for an immersion suit. It passed easily, with a few notes (one size does not fit all, didn't test in diesel, requires insulating clothing under it, need your own gloves and dive hood). My body temperature actually increased during the test.

[Catapault]

Originally Posted by leboyd

What's missing in the posts above is the rest of the statement:
John Fisher was on deck, in the cockpit. At the time, he was moving forward to tidy up the FR0 sheet and had therefore unclipped his tether as was standard procedure when moving between positions.
https://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/ne...Scallywag.html

Interesting, they've edited the page to add that since I (and presumably the other person) cut/paste it the day before.

I understand race boats are a special, and dangerous place, but
that procedure, given the conditions, seems flawed from this armchair.....

Either way, that, and evans post is making me re-evaluate what we do for tethers onboard and when they are used...

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by ZULU40

not if you correctly anticipate your next movement is off the boat
what comes first

And if to slow means a broken boat..?

[Flagman101]

Originally Posted by estarzinger

They race these boats inshore in tight quarters. The boats can definitely maneuver smartly (I have been on one).
And they had an accidental jibe, which means the main was NOT prevented, which means that so long as someone looked after the runners properly they 'should have' been able to make any of the standard MOB maneuvers pretty much immediately.

I personally dont find 'the boat is complicated' a compelling argument for not being able to execute a mob maneuver smartly when under reduced plain sail.

So i guess you must be a better sailor then Ian Walker who explains that it can take up to 40 minutes to turn these boats around in lesser conditions.
And better then the crew of SHK Scallywag who did take 42 minutes to turn around and come back.

Unless you have sailed on a VOR in the southern Ocean i will trust Ian Walkers explanation.

[Flagman101]

Originally Posted by boatman61

And if to slow means a broken boat..?

Broken boat is better then dead man.
They take up to an hour to prepare for a Gybe. A few seconds more won't matter.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Flagman101

Broken boat is better then dead man.
They take up to an hour to prepare for a Gybe. A few seconds more won't matter.

You mean the poor guy waited a whole hour for that gybe to knock him overboard..

[Flagman101]

Originally Posted by boatman61

You mean the poor guy waited a whole hour for that gybe to knock him overboard..

Ahh come on!!
If you sail at all you know what i mean.

[Don C L]

Anyone know if the engines they have could have even powered back upwind in those seas and winds? 72 hp just doesn't sound like enough.
https://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/bo...he-Engine.html

[svlamorocha]

Originally Posted by leboyd

...therefore unclipped his tether as was standard procedure when moving between positions.
https://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/ne...Scallywag.html

When I started to work in mining there were lots of standard practices that killed and injured people. I had the pleasure of working physically close (but many levels below!) a British good old boy that ended up being called Sir Robert Wilson. That fellow had the wisdom to lead most of a whole industry (I exclude Trump's underground coal mining friends that think that mining without death is for wimps) towards safety in just a few years after the Lassing disaster.

I hope offshore racing goes through a similar change.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Flagman101

Ahh come on!!
If you sail at all you know what i mean.

I do know I can perform a gybe in 3 minutes from putting the tiller over to being on a course close hauled..
I will grant that at a speed up to 4 times that of a 30ftr it may take a bit longer but.. these are supposed to be pro's.. and yes I have sailed a race boat with running backstays.. with just one other person.. an ex Americas Cup 65ftr.

[Flagman101]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I do know I can perform a gybe in 3 minutes from putting the tiller over to being on a course close hauled..
I will grant that at a speed up to 4 times that of a 30ftr it may take a bit longer but.. these are supposed to be pro's.. and yes I have sailed a race boat with running backstays.. with just one other person.. an ex Americas Cup 65ftr.

Then you and Estarzinger should put a team together an teach all these sailors how to because the consensus among the VOR sailors is that it's not an easy task and it does take up to 40 minutes.
Or maybe you are implying they are incompetent?

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Flagman101

Then you and Estarzinger should put a team together an teach all these sailors how to because the consensus among the VOR sailors is that it's not an easy task and it does take up to 40 minutes.
Or maybe you are implying they are incompetent?

Our little 30 footer have as much in comun with a VOR boat as my car has with an F1 car.

True.. your cars likely got 4 seats..
Remember it was you who said it takes one hour to prepare for a gybe.. now that infers incompetence.

[boatman61]

Another thing.. the safer manouver would have been to turn into the wind opposite to the side the main was on.. Go close hauled and reef down then tack back up to the MOB.. much safer and under control than a delayed controlled gybe..
But then what do I know..