Man-overboard drill in 25 knots?

[Yangyangyyy]

Last week 2pm in San Francisco bay, in the regular 25knots wind, we were doing a jibe, and unfortunately were rounded back into the wind 180 degrees. At worst point the boat was knocked down to about 20 degrees above waterline.

I was thinking what if someone fell overboard. then I'll need to use the man overboard drill that I learnt in ASA courses. But back then we did it in 10knots maybe at most 12knots wind.

Is it ever possible to do the drill in 25 knots wind?

[boatman61]

Off course it is and you should give it a go.. else when you need it in those conditions someone may die.
Practice it under motor and when you have that sussed then try under sail alone, engines are known to fail.

[s/v Moondancer]

Make sure you are reefed for the winds or you will be doing it for real!

[BillKny]

The ASA teaches that method because it is easy to learn, and having students struggle is bad for business. In multiple evaluations it has never been found to be a relable mob recovery method.

Try this method, (the figure-8) works no matter the wind strength because no jibe is needed!

[JPA Cate]

Hey, Yang,

Depends on how many you have aboard.

If there are only two of you, I suggest using anything that will float (like a float cushion), and have the alternate helmsperson do the driving, to rescue it. Do it on a surprise basis, no more than 15 kn. breeze, till they get good at it. A person's head is less visible than the cushion. With only two aboard, one of the things you learn is that it's hard to be the spotter and the helmsman and the recoverer all at once. With more than two, you can assign jobs, and see how that goes. Expect improvement with practice.

What you really do want to work out is how to get someone aboard safely. Try using the CF Custom Google Search under the Search button, put in something like MOB Recovery. It has been written about a lot, and much of it is thought provoking.

Ann

[MountainKing]

Originally Posted by BillKny

The ASA teaches that method because it is easy to learn, and having students struggle is bad for business. In multiple evaluations it has never been found to be a relable mob recovery method.

Try this method, (the figure-8) works no matter the wind strength because no jibe is needed!

The figure-8 is taught in the ASA courses. It's also in the ASA books for the courses, which list three methods I believe.

[wingssail]

A few years back (actually, more than a few) I chartered a Cal 39 in the Virgin Islands for myself and five co-workers who knew little about sailing.

We all wore big floppy hats for sun protection and I announced that if any hat went overboard we were going to go back and retrieve it no matter what the conditions and location. Nobody thought about it much, I guess.

First day out, in 25 knots of wind, exiting the Sir Francis Drake Channel, sure enough a hat went overboard.

No hesitation, I tacked immediately and assigned one person as a "pointer".

It was a bit hectic, because the channel we were in was tight and the winds strong, but after a couple of try's we got a boat hook on that hat and recovered it. I think we could have gotten a line on a person, if that was what was there in the water. I know I could have stopped the boat but that would have been more difficult.

It was good training, and you know what? No more hats were lost overboard for the whole 10 days.

Since then we've dropped fenders overboard by accident off of Wings while heading back to the marina after a race, a couple of times in pretty strong winds.

Again, no warning, no planning, but go back immediately. We've found that the hardest thing to do is stop the boat along side when you have sails up, but we've practiced it. It is good practice for the helm's man as well as the rest of the crew.

Do it.

[GreenWave]

Having done the ASA courses and numerous drills, I will say that the figure 8 is fine if three crew and one falls overboard. However, if there are only two crew and one goes over, the best technique is to stop the boat as quickly as possible. Tracking a person bobbling in the water and trying to steer the boat by yourself is pretty much impossible. So stop, throw something and then get your plan based on wind, waves, and current.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by GreenWave

Having done the ASA courses and numerous drills, I will say that the figure 8 is fine if three crew and one falls overboard. However, if there are only two crew and one goes over, the best technique is to stop the boat as quickly as possible. Tracking a person bobbling in the water and trying to steer the boat by yourself is pretty much impossible. So stop, throw something and then get your plan based on wind, waves, and current.

This is where the «37ft boat is a life saver, everything is in easy reach and single handing is a doddle.. tiller between one's legs, a sheet in each hand and full control..

[zemurray]

sounds to me like you had your hands full with basic sailing skills in 25 kts. I’d think you’d want to be a bit more polished and have the boat under control with confidence in those kinds of conditions before you work on man overboard skills. Just my .02.

[sailingabe41ds]

For me...best thing is not to fall overboard. im afraid my wife would leave be behind an collect on the life insurance policy. seriously..im not sure how skilled she is under those conditions.

abe

[Simi 60]

We used to do them regularly when sailing
Never lost a hat, always went back for them

But also used to do a more official version of using a mostly filled 20 litre water drum.
It bobbed under water on occasion and more simulated someone in the water and, had a bit if weight to it so couldn't simply be retrieved with a boat hook.

[waterman46]

Originally Posted by sailingabe41ds

For me...best thing is not to fall overboard. im afraid my wife would leave be behind an collect on the life insurance policy. seriously..im not sure how skilled she is under those conditions.

abe

Yeah, always "one hand for the ship and one for yourself" while out of cockpit.

The bigger boats and double-handed crew make use of the ASA method questionable. We have the LifeSling as do many cruisers. Slack all sheets and motor back to circle MOB. Been tempted to buy the personal AIS.

We need to practice and it's good to see the subject come up in a new thread.

[DEAN2140]

The good thing about the figure eight is no jibing required; the bad thing is it takes you away from the MOB, (4 OR 5 boat lengths recommended) and the further you go the less chance of finding and recovering the MOB. My preference is to stop the boat immediately by heading into the wind, throw some cushions if they are handy, and then backwind the jib like you are trying to heave to and slowly make a circle around the MOB. You will jibe but you will have time to set up for it. When you are on a close reach, go for the pickup. This is especially useful in the ocean where the swells will quickly obscure the MOB.

[more]

Originally Posted by Yangyangyyy

Last week 2pm in San Francisco bay, in the regular 25knots wind, we were doing a jibe, and unfortunately were rounded back into the wind 180 degrees. At worst point the boat was knocked down to about 20 degrees above waterline.

I was thinking what if someone fell overboard. then I'll need to use the man overboard drill that I learnt in ASA courses. But back then we did it in 10knots maybe at most 12knots wind.

Is it ever possible to do the drill in 25 knots wind?

i have DJI mini drone stuck in the air 10-minute countdown.
because froze high wind condition 12-15 knots i must sail down and return. i save drone-i be so lucky he drops on the corner of bimini.on 25-50kn wind return for MOB easy. i think for drone hard,to small

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2W8wmEcaCc