Quick Release Dinghy for MOB

[shorebird]

I was thinking a quick release on the dinghy painter makes more sense than a pole. Both would mark the spot, but a dinghy would also enable a MOB to climb aboard if the remaining crew were having any difficulty in returning. Not everyone tows a dinghy, but many do. There are quick release systems used in parachutes that are extremely reliable, and easy to release under load.
Does this seem like a good idea?

[Talbot]

Originally Posted by shorebird

I was thinking a quick release on the dinghy painter makes more sense than a pole. Both would mark the spot, but a dinghy would also enable a MOB to climb aboard if the remaining crew were having any difficulty in returning. Not everyone tows a dinghy, but many do. There are quick release systems used in parachutes that are extremely reliable, and easy to release under load.

Does this seem like a good idea?

No

Try dropping a dinghy in the water and watch how fast it is blown downwind.

[Hud3]

The last time we were moored at Saba there was quite a swell running. The dinghy came loose, but I didn't see it was drifting until it was about 100 yards away. My reaction was to jump in and swim for it. I quickly noticed that it was drifting downwind faster than I could swim! I ended up going after it with the boat.

If you want to try the concept, consider deploying a drogue from the dinghy.

[thinwater]

No.

Yes, it will blow fast.

I can think of many circumstances where you might need the tender to go get the person. If the captain falls off, the crew may be more comfortable with the tender than manuvering the boat. It might be simpler to get the MOB into the tender. If you really foul-up turning the boat and tangle lines in the prop and rudder (I've heard of this happening and can imagine it easily) the tender can go back and get the MOB.

I would want to keep my options open. Drop other things in the water that float (if you tie a dock line to a horseshoe float it really slows its drift).

[Ocean Girl]

I really like the idea of using the dinghy as a rescue platform. The bigger the better, to help the crew spot you( the mob) and for you to have a shelter. A sea anchor of some type, maybe set a smoke canister or strobe off to allow for better visual.
The tricky part is for a short handed crew, you gotta keep your eye on the mob, and get the boat turned around, and deploy rescue dinghy. Of course, that is if you see him go over.

Ive done drills with floating debris or a floating chusion, it is extremely hard to spot someone in the water, much easier to spot a dinghy.

Could also buy an actual rescue platform, they are compact, easily deployable, and have built-in sea anchors.

Cheers,
Mrs RainDog

[boatman61]

Well...
I've an idea that gets round the flotation/visibility/pick-up problem...
but gotta develop and patent it b4 I tell.....

[Canibul]

I have these kinds of ideas all the time.
Things in the water subject to the wind will not stay near things in the water subject to the water current, like a dinghy won't stay near a swimmer. Guaranteed. And you will drive yourself to exhaustion trying to catch an empty dinghy in the wind. You can't swim that fast for long. Try it some times. For fun.

IF the dinghy had a sea anchor, it would help the swimmer catch it assuming the swimmer sees it and can swim.. How about a water pressure activated transmitter that caused all this stuff to deploy if the worn transmitter fell overboard? Or how about an electric powered rescue pod that homed in on a radio beacon on the MOB? Or an electric powered rescue device that was WiFi connected to the boats nav system, and knows the boat speed and direction. Hit an MOB button and this thing disconnects and immediately deploys and drives itself back toward the MOB postion using the known history and it's own onboard GPS system? Adding a life jacket radio beacon or GPS tracking beacon data to the speed and heading data would let the rescue pod be on it's merry way before the boat could get turned around, etc. The boat could follow the pod to the MOB.

Singlehanded, the rescue pod could be mounted so that it could deploy itself, and be tracking both the boat position and progress and the distance to a transponder on the sailor. Should the distance to the sailor become more than x ft, deploy and go get him while telling autopilot to stop the boat.

Or do it all with the GPS tracking devices they use on truckers these days.

Just my imagination, running away with me....

Right now I am thinking about a portable solar powered oven that allows me to gather up the damned floating water bottles on a remote beach and melt them into giant Lego blocks, which can be used for construction or as a plastic supply for my 3D printer that is hopefully on the way.....

[foolishsailor]

Where exactly are you towing a dingy?

Offshore? You shouldnt be towing a dingy

Island hopping? Is the weather bad? You shouldn't be towing a dingy

Coastal cruising? Is the weather bad? You shouldn't be towing a dingy

If the weather isn't bad seeing and picking up an MOB is not problematic.

Otherwise you can tie a highwayman's hitch on anything using the digny painter and just pull the bitter end to release the digny instantly if there was an MOB. Google highwayman hitch for the knot. No extra tech needed.

[Canibul]

how bout towing a long, light line with a smooth float, and letting the MOB pull his OWN dinghy tether?

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by foolishsailor

Where exactly are you towing a dingy?

Offshore? You shouldnt be towing a dingy

Island hopping? Is the weather bad? You shouldn't be towing a dingy

Coastal cruising? Is the weather bad? You shouldn't be towing a dingy

If the weather isn't bad seeing and picking up an MOB is not problematic.

Otherwise you can tie a highwayman's hitch on anything using the digny painter and just pull the bitter end to release the digny instantly if there was an MOB. Google highwayman hitch for the knot. No extra tech needed.

I dunno about offshore - but have towed an inflatable for many years, island hopping and coastal in all kinds of weather and never lost one (always 2 painters though and no o/b!)....acts as a bit of brake in light weather . But I appreciate that may simply have been luckier than average (and dink not always towed).

Quick release? Knife .

but I echo the comments made by others, will blow downwind quicker than a swimmer.

My preffered option would be to use the dink as a Rescue Raft - deployed either alongside or astern of the vessel - or on a longggggg line, and then boat circles around the casualty - once the MOB has made contact with the line then easy enough to move forward and bring dink to him......before he climbs onboard and the dink gets hauled back to the boat.

Well, that's my plan

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

I dunno about offshore - but have towed an inflatable for many years, island hopping and coastal in all kinds of weather and never lost one (always 2 painters though and no o/b!)....acts as a bit of brake in light weather . But I appreciate that may simply have been luckier than average (and dink not always towed).

Quick release? Knife .

but I echo the comments made by others, will blow downwind quicker than a swimmer.

My preffered option would be to use the dink as a Rescue Raft - deployed either alongside or astern of the vessel - or on a longggggg line, and then boat circles around the casualty - once the MOB has made contact with the line then easy enough to move forward and bring dink to him......before he climbs onboard and the dink gets hauled back to the boat.

Well, that's my plan

It's a cunning plan indeed Baldrick....

[Hannah on 'Rita T']

If you are quick you might be able to get to the Guatemala coast before our dinghy does. It's an 11-foot AB with chaps, bow box etc. We made the mistake in December of towing it from Norman Island to Salinas PR. It went southwest at midnight after tearing three painters free. As it flipped in a wall of water the bow box opened and the red/green LED light fell out, bumped something and turned on. I could see the light for 10 minutes or so. We had all our lines and bits of the dinghy where the U-bolt was screwed on and the D rings were glued on. Even have one of the grey polkypro gunwhale lines. We bought an inadequate Caribe and are praying for the means to buy a Genesis 340. Sad day to lose a 15-year-old dinghy. It was part of the family, patches and all.

[Pacificcatalyst]

There are two issues here now; A proper MOB recovery system and, towing a dingy while underweigh.

First, I would never cut loose my skiff and abandon it in hopes that the person in the water can get to it. As has been mentioned, a dingy goes downwind like a soap bubble. There is a strong probability that you'll loose the skiff just when you need it the most. An inexpensive MOB pole, even if it's homemade, seems a viable alternative.
Our plan is to get the life ring over the side ASAP, this marks the location and gives the person in the water something to hang on to. Then use the skiff (which we tow at all times on a very short bridle) to quickly return and recover the MOB.

We have a life sling, and an eyebolt installed above the boarding ladder. I use a snatch block on the eye, run the LifeSling tether through the snatch block and then have the guests and crew provide the ooomph to haul the victim up and over the rail (in the likely event that they're incapacitated due to hypothermia).

I tow a 16' soft bottom inflatable, with a 50HP outboard right up under the stern. It is close enough that I can jump into it without slowing down and fighting the current to pull it to the boat. The towing bridle is short enough that there is no way to get it into the wheel, and no way for the skiff to catch a wave and broach in big seas. We have used this arrangement in 50+ knots and 12'+ seas. No problems.

All boat and dingy combinations require different towing solutions, and it may just not work out for some. We have tried long and short bridles, float-ladden towlines, and not towing at all. We are able to very accurately measure the load on the engine, and see no difference between towing and not towing.

About the only thing I'm sure of here is that cutting your skiff loose, or making your MOB proceedure needlessly complicated, is a recipe for disaster.

[capn_billl]

Instead of cutting it loose, tieing a looong, line, (poly so it floats), and having it ready for quick deployment. Then cutting the short line may be better. That way if the MOB misses it you don't lose your dinghy, and the long line gives them plenty of grabbing room. and again when you circle back.

Kinda like DOJ's plan only simpler.