Danbouy is definitely a must have. You don’t see them on many boats nowadays. We also have a life ring with a light. These two go into the water first, then we simply heave-to by backing the jib and releasing the mainsheet. This stops you pretty quick, so the MOB could make it back to the vessel, if able, or you can manoeuvre the boat to them. I also haven’t practiced in a while, you just prompted us to do so.Thanks!
@@SailingLearningByDoing but worth a try, giving abracadabra (and other commenters) method a try out - would be good to see if crash tacking (heaving-to) keeps to you closer to the MOB while you sort out engine and sails - be keen to see the video comparison of other ideas, let's get to the bottom of this.
Hi Guys. Top tip is to fold the dan-buoy flag concertina style, not roll it. Slide a short plastic tube like electrical conduit over the flag and attach the tube to the backstay with a line. When you deploy the buoy the tube will slide off and stay on the backstay. The flag will deploy instantly. If you can get a horseshoe buoy attached so that goes overboard with the dan-buoy even better. Maybe a little handheld GPS in the cockpit would be an idea if your plotter is below? They all have a mark or MOB button and that could be helpfull in big seas or in the dark? Just a thought. Sail Safe Guys, Ant, Cid & the pooch crew.
Good points guys, thanks. We actually have just such a plastic pipe for the flag to go into but I think the last owner had taped the flag up in order to get the flag back into the pipe.
Pee in the scuppers when on watch. Another good practice is to drop a GPS waypoint at the start of each watch so you have a starting point if someone goes over unnoticed. Take note of your heading when someone goes overboard. In higher seas it is easy to lose sight of someone and get disoriented on direction, especially at night. Another back up is to drag a line at least three lengths of the boat to grab as a last chance. Number one rule as told to me by a captain many years ago. DON'T FALL OFF THE BOAT!
As a point of interest: at 2 kts you can just hang on to that rope. At 4 kts you're going down!... if you can even hold on long enough. The rope idea is good provided its a floating rope with maybe a ski-handle on the end. You can use that to pull the victim to the boat. The rest of the time it'll just be drag.
@@paulcollett1479 I was thinking the same thing! Although, at night it could be useful, however, if you go over the side rails, you may be out of reach of the line that's going down the center of the stern. So maybe have two lines floating back, on the port side and one on starboard.
I just found your channel and I assure you… this is by far the best channel for sailing and a real life version of this dream that I’m working towards myself! Sincerely can’t thank you guys enough. I’ve watched 100 episodes in a week and will finish the other half next week and get caught up! Love this channel sooo much. Thank you guys
Wow thats cool, thanks for the message and glad you've been enjoying the video backlog. We just published our 250th episode so you've still got a ways to go and a heap of adventures to get through.
@@chriszanf Fair call and sea harnesses are not as common as they should be, especially on the solo guys and gals I follow. Old sea dog and Wind hippie. Cause if you go over - your gone........
@@justme.9711 Follow The Boat did 2 episodes about a guy soloing that went overboard but was fortunate to survive! Part 1: th-cam.com/video/yX3xgj2B_vU/w-d-xo.html Part 2: th-cam.com/video/Z4B4es7OPNc/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for showing your system for MOB. (Nice quick recovery of the fender with the boat hook too). I solo sail, so I run a 100 ft knotted floating yellow line behind the boat. (It steals some speed, but it gives me a chance if I go over). If I lose a passenger I immediately hove to and if I centre my boom I can usually sail in a messy circle (even with a back winded jib). My boat is not nearly as fast as yours so this works as my emergency brake and gives me time to sort out the panic. Cheers.
Hi Marius. Thanks. Many have comments on how they trail a long rope but I wonder how many have actually tried to use it? I have and I couldn't pull myself up it, actually the opposite, I found I would be dragged underwater. I'm thinking I might make a video about it to prove one way or another if its a myth.
Luckily the only "man overboard" situations I have experienced were drills, done on a 10 tonne yacht. One suggestion. The way I was taught by an old salt, was to throw the yacht into an immediate 180 degree tack - without any sail adjustment! This has the effect of bringing the yacht to a sudden halt in a "heave to" situation. Then start the engine and motor back for the recovery. The headsail will be cross winded, the main will be doing it own thing - can be eased out as you motor back. This is definitely quicker than trying to ease the sails before turning on the motor. I would like to compliment Marie on her wardrobe. Perhaps she needs more space to enlarge her selection?
Thanks Douglas, when we next try this we will be using both sails and will try this method as it makes a lot of sense to me. I'd love for Marie to have more wardrobe space, now, where do I get the money for a bigger boat.🤣
As a former rescue boat skipper I've practiced many " man overboard drills " . during an offshore race I was knocked overboard .no life jacket or safety line .my first thought was "don't panic" I blew air into my t-shirt to give extra flotation. The crew were panicking on kard they had never practiced a man overboard . The Danbouy was tied on too hard to release .the hardest part was lifting me on board . The rest of the crew was traumztised but havinig practiced myself and having sailed lots of small dinghys for me it was just an afternoon dip . My only fear was if there were any sharks down there looking for a feed
Yes, I never dealt with the sails at all, basically, you determine your turn around based on the angle of wind you are sailing, usually bearing off the wind is easier and needs no sail adjustments in an emergency. Still need to DUCK and not let the boom nail you and swipe you over as well! That lets you get a compass reading, start the engines, through out the danbouy, safety ring with a light, and anything else to help spot the MOB. It's a bit tricky as it is with just one person versus having two or more crew with you, so you have to react quickly as the distance you are traveling from the MOB is increasing faster than you think.
Brilliant video guys. Thank you so much for sharing and being genuine. You can never prepare enough for the unplanned situation. I love the fact you threw more things creating also a sort of orientation line towards the man who went overboard. Well done guys.
Very good to have Your system for Your boat. My training had Stop the boat first. I am always amazed at how critical and difficult it is to keep a visual on the swimmer/MOB while performing your other actions. Thanks
Yep, that's the tough thing and if you do loose visual then its very difficult to find again or even know exactly which direction to begin looking. 2-3 other things floating makes a huge difference.
Hat overboard! At least you didn't do what my friend did when his hat blew off while sailing in Queensland - he jumped overboard after it while we were underway! The skipper wasn't best pleased and had a look of disbelief when it happened. Thankfully it was calm and we picked up my friend fairly quickly. Amazingly, he didn't even spill anything from the tin of beer he was holding as he jumped overboard! :) Great video and good to learn about throwing other stuff overboard to act as a marker trail to the MOB.
Also a hand held vhf clipped onto the person on watch,(if rough conditions) then if someone does go over you have contact with the vessel. You may not be able to see them but they could well see you.
I tend to agree with Steve, Vern. The risk of going overbrd is much more likely at night and/or in a big sea. biscuit crumbing is cool if the engine doesn’t start but just a distraction from getting back to the MoB ASAP. Having been over myself it’s super demoralising watching your ride vanish over the horizon. Priority #1 must be to identify and return. But there’s many ways to skin a cat. So good on ya! 🤙🏻
Why is the risk higher at night? I know its a very bad situation if it happens but I disagree that it happens more often. Personally I take much more care at night so the risk is less in my view. Obviously, getting back as soon as possible is the biggest priority but if you can't see the person in the water then where are you going back too? 30 degrees this way or that way and you will never find them. If you time in our video how long it takes to throw in several items it was less than 30 seconds, this in my view is well worth it.
@@SailingLearningByDoing There are statistical studies that suggest we are more alert in the mornings and attention degrades from the afternoon on. Research tells us to get any surgery done in the morning! lol. But practically on sailboat, it's easier to not see a line/block/or anything on the deck and go A over T.
Great idea to do man overboard training and also promoting other cruisers to do some man overboard training. Thanks very much from the cruising community.
Important video, thank you! Great lesson I learnt, which especially helps while sailing short handed… Lock the tiller/wheel to port or starboard and the boat will continuously tack and gybe in place automatically, so you reduce valuable distance and give time to plan in a panic situation.
Great job Vernon and Marie! Good to see you practicing these life saving maneuvers that hopefully you'll never have to use. There is some great advise in the comments here. Thanks for bringing this important point up. Having worked on boats in the dive industry for decades in places with strong currents and doing plenty of night dives I've learned a few things sometimes the hard way. I know there is a degree of discomfort to it but wearing an inflatable PFD while on deck seems like the ideal thing when you’re the only one on deck. Primarily in the case of someone falling overboard and getting knocked unconscious. Wearing one of these means you can attach a Personal Locator Beacon(PLB) to each PFD which makes finding the individual a lot easier. They are quite inexpensive now a days. Imagine if someone fell overboard from getting hit on the head from an accidental jibe, fainting for whatever reason, or you didn't hear them scream when you were down below (engine running for example). They make some small battery-powered strobes that you can attach to the PFD that are great for night time, too. One of the things I've learned from my decades as a scuba diver that could be implemented onto a PFD is to carry an inflatable marker buoy (does the job of the danbuoy). You can find them at most dive shops inexpensively. It rolls up small and I attach a loud-sounding whistle to it. The whole thing is about the size of my palm. If you go this route get one that is bright yellow on one side and orange on the other. The bright yellow is great on cloudy day and the darker orange is great on sunny days or when searching in the direction of the sun. These marker buoys usually have a radar/light reflective tape on the top. I attached a rolled up dive flag on mine and the whole thing is attached to a 100ft finger spool so I can send it from the bottom as I start my ascent in fast currents (obviously you won't want all this extra stuff unless you're diving - I can go into more detail on this if you want). The extra floation can also help a person who is panicking in the water. When diving I even have a tiny submersible PLB that I take with me diving. Having worked in the dive industry I've had my share of lost divers and trying to locate a tiny dark head in a whole lot of ocean is a tough and heart-sinking experience. I personally feel the best prevention is not falling off the boat in the first place by always being attached to a jackline especially when going forward and aft of the boat. Ideally, the jacklines should run near the center of the boat with the person’s hardness cinched taut enough so there is no chance of even going over the lifelines - a person dragging on the side of a boat moving is a recipe for disaster. Some sailors carry two clips on their harness so they can switch across different lifelines without ever being unattached. Lastly, a quick look at your compass to get a heading can help immensely in case you lose your orientation when turning the boat around.
Good tips mate, thanks. I think your second point is pretty much already covered in most PFD's. When inflated they are a bright colour, there is always a whistle integrated as well as reflective material. We have small strobe lights also attached. I do have a small PLB but this wouldn't help ME find the person in the water, only SAR. We do have a system called PANPAN, these are small waterproof devices that are connected to by bluetooth to your phones/tablets on board and they set off an alarm when they go out of a preset range of the said phone/tablet and then allow you to also track back. We didnt show any of this stuff as we were just training very basic steps on how to get back and find someone simply. We might film a more in-depth video about it all next time.
Brilliant Vid. Commercially and when off shore-racing, we do follow the same proceedure, and practice, and practice until it becomes second nature At night or times of poor vis we have learnt to carry a couple of the newer waterproof rechargable torches, that will float, in the cockpit. Thrown overboard at intervals , like your floats will give you a transit back to the MOB. Good luck with your travels and keep the vid's coming .
Getting MOB button access in cockpit would seem like a good idea here. I've always liked the idea of, when sailing, stopping boat via hove to when starting MOB procedure. Assuming MOB is found the hardest part is usually getting them out of the water back on board. Hypothermia, body fatigue, shock....even with an open transom, getting someone back is rough business. My boat...(J/37), has a swim ladder but no open transom. I use Danbouy and lifesling with a hoist system which is drilled routinely with crew. Even after some practice and crew confidence it is still a sketchy situation if it ever happens. Great to see you guys sharing your practice and safety considerations!!!
Good points. Heaving to seems an unnecessary complication in this situation. Either turn 180 and sail back or drop the sail and motor back. By the time you're hove to you'll still be several hundred meters away and then its pointless. The open transom makes retrieval much easier but in a big sea for sure still difficult.
in my RYA course, they teach you to crash tack to stop the boat after you have started the engine. Once you have crash tacked, and you are effectively hove to, then you furl or bring down the jib. Your method is ok, but you lose time and have greater separation. You also had to approach victim upwind so that you dont blow over them and hit them with hull. The propellor had to be in neutral at that point so you dont mince your victim or you would fail exam.
Well done guys, when you have the person in the water , how you pick them up from the sea, we practiced with a net that rolled over the side , that person rolls themselves (if they can) sideways into it and you use the main halyard on a winch to roll and lift them up into the boat .
Good to do MOB, sailing on and off anchor, heaving two, every vessel and crew performs differently so good to do and to work it out. Nice to place it up on Tube as a reminder to fellow yachities.
Back in the day doing my inshore yacht master cert we would toss over an actual person which I imagine is not allowed anymore. Was startling how hard it is to drag a body onto the yacht, much harder than getting the core elements of the drill done. Striking the target was also a common issue so the boat becomes a risk when in close quarters. Great drill to do as often as needed to feel better about it and hopefully never experience for real.
A line in the water so you can loop the boat around someone and they can pick up the line.This avoids running into someone in the water or crashing down on them as you try and get close enough to pick them up. This line could be set dangling in rough sea or put in a throw bag and stored near the downbouy. A line in the water already it allows self rescue for anyone who falls over board. for me this is theory though trying to get it paracticed at my local yacht club with the bigger club boats. great video and a good heads up
Great video, good to learn from you Im a solo sailor so haven't really thought about mob situations But great ... Will take away those lessons and hopefully never be in that situation Thankyou
Glad it was helpful! I was mostly solo sailing before as well and never bothered with MOB stuff. Now though we thought it important to learn the basic's
Well done! I think what you should practice next is getting a person back onboard (especially Vernon who looks heavier than Marie) who may be unable to help much during that part of the rescue. Try different approaches and figure out what works best.
I never forgot a story about a man and wife in a storm off of Newfoundland Canada and she washed overboard but was harnessed to the boat but being older even though he got a hold of her in cold water and rough seas he could not get aboard and she eventually slipped out of her harness and was lost . Make sure you have proper harness and maybe a winch or some other mechanical means to lift a person back on to the boat .
yep sad story, heard a couple like it. Sorta like shark attacks though, we hear about every single tragedy. For the hundreds of thousands/millions of people on the water every day there are very few fatalities.
Excellent demo guys. Couple of observations and a suggestion. First one - I might say that the first job of the 2nd of 2 crew is to remain onboard. Second one. I'm wearing 3XL pants but I'm sure I could go between the strands of that transom fence. I pass through farm fences no bother. Wouldn't mind a vertical element there. finally, a request/suggestion. A lot of single handers trail a line behind. I've never seen any of them test whether they can pull themselves back on board by it. Is it possible, and at what speed? how many chinups does it equate to?
Thanks. Yeah someone could slip through those wires for sure, same could be said for any and all lifelines on the sides of every boat. The are three vertical elements there already really, the tiller, the backstay and the wind vane. I'm very sceptical on the theory of the towed rope. I think its more for self confidence than anything else. I'm planning on testing it out actually as I very much doubt I could pull myself up a knotted line fully dressed doing anything more than 1-2 kts.
Interesting session. I would have thought the first thing to do after creating your debris field would be to *** stop the forward motion by turning into the wind****. Then release the sheets unless your set up to heave to. Then, start your engine, turn back and furl the sails. Keep practicing.
First off, my hats off to the amazing lady on board. Marie is an amazing woman and is someone every Captain needs on board. I sensed with her the enormity of the situation and how nervous she was. Just thinking about the seriousness of saving someone's life can be daunting at best. She did an amazing job, kept calm, cool, and collected and saved the captain from those pesky sharks! I would go sailing anywhere with her, she has the drive, the tenacity, and fortitude you need out on the water during a passage. She is a keeper captain, don't lose her mate!!!! I learned some great ideas from your video as well as from the comments! I love the danbouy idea, may also add a light to it as well, or the life ring with light. Also, I am sure everyone may have mentioned this but when on watch always wear a PFD with a MOB emergency beacon attached, and a WHISTLE as well. You may not SEE them but you will definitely HEAR them. The MOB Device should also be worn at all times by the person on the watch or anyone on deck, this device triggers on automatically and notifies you and other nearby boats of the MOB. Love the waypoint setting each time someone comes on watch as well, and probably every 20 minutes as part of the watch process. Love the extra line dragging behind the stern, especially at night. Also taking note of direction quickly helps you reverse that compass heading when you turn around. I know someone mentioned a heave-to and letting out the main asap to stop the boat's momentum, however, I was taught NOT to do this as you need to be able to control the boat and turn around as fast as you can. I never worried about the sail adjustments, always fell of the wind and spun her around, ducking to avoid the book hitting me and sending me overboard as well. If you are dead in the water, you waste precious time trying to get the boat around and backtracking, especially in a current of a few knots or if sailing at 4-8 knots on average. Even at 3-4 knots, you would be surprised how fast someone will get out of sight distance and away from you. Although, if the engine is fired up immediately, then you will have power so letting out the main and heav-to probably isn't an issue at that point. Love the idea of rechargeable torches, that will float, for nighttime to throw overboard and act as markers for your return.
Stoked that you found the video useful. I also read through all the comments and saved a few of them to the ol memory banks. Marie did very well and it also gave me confidence knowing she at least has the basics now.
Well done, the most important exercise to practise regularly, particular in this most popular case of a two people crew. What I like to ad, is the fact that in many cases a person might be injured or even unconscious, something you also need to consider! How do you lift a person on board?! I think it is important to include this probability and plan for it. Also there are devices to assist in this task imagine a 200 lbs person to bring on board by yourself! You will likely fail, even in calm seas! The German yacht magazine did recently a review with those devices and even here, If I remember right only one device got rated satisfactory. A good thematic to be discussed and hear what others have to say about!👍⛵️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️
Great stuff Vernon. Just wonder if there is a way MOB button can be installed on the deck, and autopilot could be closer to the tiller. Excellent stuff guys.
Auto pilot is fine where it is, Marie was just unfamiliar with its location. MOB button in cockpit... When I next upgrade the chart plotter then I'll mount it in the cockpit and have the MOB handy.
First thing to do is STOP the boat! Do this by heaving-to ... back the jib by tacking without releasing the jib sheet. Once the boat is relatively dead in the water, you have time to employ the other procedures.
I disagree. What happens when you heave to? You've changed direction by 90 degree maybe, maybe even more if you mess it up. You've lost your sense of direction in that moment and cat see your MOB anymore. This minute or 2 is the most important. I feel that getting the Danbouy and other floating objects in the water is more important as then your search will be much easier.
@@SailingLearningByDoing Heaving-to is quick ... throw the tiller over and stall the boat ... at least you won't move further away from the MOB ... I can't recall ever losing a directional sense ... a compass can help. However, once you return to the MOB, bringing him/her back onboard will be the tricky part.
Here are my tips, on subject, tested myself: 1 - throw bouy 2 - remember compass bearing ...... 3 - start engine 4 - stop the boat - (disable autopilot, head to wind, fold sails ) .... 5 - set bearing = (point 2) - 180' 6 - search and rescue, or use radio. in a stressful situation our brain senses get easy tricked, so things like: estimating distance / position / lapsed time ... you WILL get it wrong! training with fender doesnt give that. easiest condition neither. You need 4 people to do it well. 3 on boat, 1 in dinghy. 1 of you jump to water (safety backup, nearby dinghy) 2 remaining people on boat (1 just watching, backup.. 2nd is doing all the drills)
thanks for the tips. We are just 2 people and we do what we can to practise. What I know for sure is that waiting till its 30kts, 3m swell and midnight and then telling Marie its time to train this for the first time will result in me sailing solo again. Baby steps, enjoy life and don't stress.
Hi, that was a successful training exercise. Number one first thing should be to cut the engine. I noticed you didn't wear a life vest. At night it's a good idea to clip in. To make it fun you could compete against your friends in their boat, doing this same thing. you guys did great. Thx 4 sharing.-C-
Good demonstration. Most likely, this channel would be renamed “Marie’s Sailing Learning by Doing”. Trying to get the exhausted or unconscious MOB back on to the boat is yet another challenge.
Yes I found it quite a project to get a big guy into an inflatable rib who had fallen off his boat. I saw one recommendation to take mainsail of mast track leave halyard attached, put in water, mob into sail then pull up halyard
@@chhindz Yeah for sure, a big waterlogged guy who is shocked, winded or whatever. But at least you have the guy, the panic of not knowing where someone is is the worst.
What if you tie the buoy to fenders at about 20 ft apart. Have it ready and it will point the way and you don't have to look around for things to throw out. Great video.
In a real situation I would have thrown the beanbag overboard or literally anything that would float. This exercise was obviously staged as we really just wanted to go through the basics.
Nice to know you have trained. Tough to steer and get hold of them in other conditions. A floating line thrown when close might help (or towed behind). Also worth thinking about how to get an exhausted/unconscious crew back on board.
This is exactly the point. MOB - if it happens - happens in foul weather. There is only one person left and I am sure that even Vernon would struggle to get Marie on board. Therefore of utmost importance are safety measures in heavy weather, e. G. to pick into lifelines at night.
@@SailingLearningByDoing fully agree, actually it is my worst imagination to face a MOB especially having friends who are much bigger in size than myself 😀
working with venomous snakes and crocodiles for over 30 years, one thing I always advise people who do things with risk. Never get complacent and think it won't happen even in the easiest seas. The moment you think it is easy and simple, that is when an accident will happen. "I never thought it would happen now, I am so experienced." is a famous line.
G day Guys unless the boat is going very slow you won’t be able to grab a line being towed behind the boat the problem is inertia, Try it please even tie knots in the rope see how you go, always have a torch 25 bucks buys a Dolphin Lantern in the cockpit it doesn’t matter night and day that is the first thing to throw over and throw at the person in the water that is the first thing to happen, Stay Safe Cheers 🍺🍺
Good points. I haven't tried the long rope but am pretty sceptical myself. Sailing at 8-9kts as we often do I feel it would be impossible to hang on let along pull yourself closer to the boat.
What about wearing a lifeline / tether to physically connect you to the boat when on deck? I noticed you did use one in earlier videos, but you don't seem to use one anymore, and I've been meaning to ask you why that is. It seems like a pretty sure-fire way of not being lost at sea if you or a crew member fall overboard.
Awesome job Marie! Loved this video. I'm a sailing idiot (at the moment) but just wondering at night is it normal to wear a waterproof light/whistle while on watch?
Good video. As for me I would not worry about the sail as priority nr 2 . I rather just let it flap, start the engine and turn around to stay close to the MOB. But than the real issue starts…how do you rescue the MOB back on the boat ? I suggest you test and try different ideas…( especially if the MOB is unable to help ) try it with no waves and than with 1-2 m waves…huge difference and really tuff. We had great difficulties… Maybe you find a better simple method…..I look forward to the next video Cheers Klaus
The problem with not getting the sails down is then you have to fight the boat. Once your turned around the sails will be pulling you maybe somewhere else than you want to go. Either sail back or motor back but not both I think. We have a life-ring on a long rope system which I''ve tested before and also our open transom makes getting someone back aboard much easier. But yeah, add 2m of swell and anything becomes difficult.
@@SailingLearningByDoing I see you point Vernon, however if you let your sails flip freely in the wind it will make a lot of noise but will not pull you. With the main sail up you have anyway no other Joyce as it will take too much time to get it down ( at least on a lot of boats with high end sails) You are right all boats are different. We have a bathing platform on our Oceanis 46.1 which first we sought is great to get a MOB back on board but it turned out it is very dangerous in waves as it can easily hit you. However thanks for your great videos and I look forward to see the next one. cheers Klaus
Hi Marie and Vernon 😊 Excellent video.. Alphie on "Life is like Sailing" on the west coast of Canada , has a Dan Buoy with battery operated , water deployed light.. but we never really gave the necessary thought to MOBS!! We will now because of your video!! ( we are Alberta ranchers still building our Dream boat , so we have time to smarten up!! Lol)
'You guys are idiots and you're all gonna die' - but so is everyone! We know very little in the grand scheme of things & the crushing inevitability of life is that we'll die some day! On a serious note.... You've established a really good drill with clear steps to take that have sub actions to each step. In simple terms its: 1. Mark the MOB. 2. Stop the boat. 3. Return to MOB. I've done first aid at work for a decade so know its just carrying out practice that will reduce the situational panic and make those steps muscle memory. If you have another person on board who is less experienced, you have to take control & give them clear steps to follow. For example, with first aiding, you dont ask if anyones called an ambulance because everyone will have bystander effect & just look at each other. You point at a specific person and say "I need you to call for an ambulance and tell me when its on its way" or "I need you to put pressure here to stem blood flow" and so on with each task. Point at them, give them a clear instruction & to report the result back to you. That person then has a simple set of tasks focusing them instead of being overwhelmed with the situation. Being at sea, time is a major factor because the temperature of the sea, and the hour of the day can play heavily on the survival rate of the person. Really great content again which is why you're one of my favourite sailing channels!
Practice all the moves all the time even if you don't toss anything overboard just to get used to the moves. Do these drills at any time and often till you can do it without thinking and let muscle memory take over.
I highly doubt that. I've tried it and couldn't but maybe I'll make a video about it as so many here have commented about it but I dont think they have personally tried it.
I wouldn't spend time furling the headsail which can be a long process on a big boat. Turn into the wind first and let it flog unless there's a really strong wind. You should always approach the victim from downwind of him/her. When you get closer to the victim you can furl the headsail. The key is to minimise distance between the boat the victim. Big swells will make this much more critical. Not sure I'd bother with the fenders.
We have a small boat and furling the headsail takes 30 seconds maybe, Motoring back to the person in the water is then much easier and we have full vision forwards. A flogging sail, sheets jumping around, this just makes people more nervous and panicky. We found that the more things floating the vicinity of the person made it much easier to locate them. Whats a few fenders if it helps save a life?
Very different from what we have been trained to do for the Chicago to Mac race. -Hit MOB button on VHF -Keep an eye on the MOB -Do not start engine, things are going to be crazy and there is likely a line in the water...if it fouls the prop you're screwed! -Leave headsail alone and perform figure 8 back to MOB. I have serious doubts that a non-sailor partner could watch a MOB, deploy floatation devices, douse the jib, start the motor and find the way back to the MOB
So why not have a life harness and be clipped into the boat anytime one of you is in the cockpit by themselves? You had ideal conditions. Put a 2m or 3m swell on things and the person driving the boat may not even be able to track them and the person in the water may not even survive the time it takes to get to them. I spent 15 years working on ships and even with a dozen people on deck I wouldn't trust them to find me if I went over. One has to consider a worst case scenario to really understand this.
True but more accidents happen in good conditions because people take it for granted, move about more feely etc. When there is a big sea running everyone takes more care, clips in etc. So it makes sense to train for this eventuality as well.As I stressed, several times, this was basic training.
Thanks. Yeah someone else commented about reflective stuff. We plan on sewing some strips into the Danbouy flag for sure. Our life vests have reflective strips already
A number of issues. The fender alone is not a good representation of a COB. Tie a bucket to the fender whip and a fender will drift more like a person. Note that most Dan-Bouys have a small sea anchor at the bottom so they stay near(ish) a person in the water. You'll find the fender and bucket is EASIER than just a fender. So is a COB. Case studies, including a report of over 1,000, have shown that if you are under sail you should stay under sail. People have drowned in sight of a boat with a line wrapped around the prop. Look up Quick Stop. My preference. I learned Williamson Turn but Quick Stop is better. I'm a fan of heaving to windward of COB. The boat drifts down on the COB so they are close. The other approach is to leeward and the rationale is that the boat doesn't ride over the COB, but the boat does blow away. How are you going to get an 80 kg person on board if you're a 55 kg woman? People have drowned because they can't be gotten aboard. Hint: over the stern is a poor answer in a sea. Halyard usually works best. Think about someone hitting their head on the way over. Good for you for the effort. Keep working.
We had 2 man overboard incidents in a 5 year circumnavigation. One in the middle of the Indian Ocean in big swells and tradewinds. In both cases when we got the person back, I have never seen such white faces.
@@SailingLearningByDoing Yes, the first one was on the way from Darwin to Bali, nice weather. We would hang off the mainsheet and drag in the water when running downhill. Unfotuneatley the guy had been baking and had butter on his hands! You think he would have learned his lesson, because he had been doing it days before and came screaming out of the water with a bluebottle around his penis😅 The 2nd occasion was much more serious as we had twin head sails poled out and the motor was sometimes hard to start. We had ladders on our shrouds and sent somebody up there to watch while we got the sails down. We got the danbouy out pretty quick but would have been 150 meters away by the time we got the boat turned around.
scary how quickly the distance and speed makes thing just disappear into the background, get some glow sticks in case it happens at night, just tie one to the Dan buoy to make it visible at night.
So, Vernon, I agree that eyes on is most important but if you do not hit the man overboard button, and if you do not recover the person almost immediately (which you acknowledge can sometimes be hard to do) then you have doomed the "man" overboard, since SAR will not be able to enter a position into its very precise software to determine search area and have a chance at recovery. Now, In Indo, maybe that doesn't matter anyway but anywhere with a competent Coast Guard, an accurate MOB position from the chartplotter is SAR's best hope.
Thanks for your comment. As I said, I've considered this a bit. I personally would rather back myself to find the person and would rather have my eyes on them at all times. While I'm down below, holding the MOB button for 30 seconds and some waves hit the bow and we change direction 20 degrees, then I go back up and have totally lost the person in the water. Yes, I now have a GPS point but its also not exactly where the person is. Obviously best would be to have a MOB button in the cockpit and this is something I might do before our next big crossing.
@@SailingLearningByDoing You're welcome. Having installed AIS finally this year, I am very convinced that at night, the only real way to find the person is if she is wearing a SART that will show up right on your AIS screen. Big bucks -- about $400-500 a pop -- so I am hoping the price goes down! I also have an inflatable danbuoy that sits in the cockpit and the crew learns that is the first thing to toss. It inflates 6ft with a strobe light and it has straps that the MOB can put her arms into to stay afloat. It is a bright neon green. On my MOB (raytheon E7) you just press and hold the MOB button for two seconds and the position is marked so I am not understanding the 30 seconds you mentioned. I have a E7 in the cockpit and one down below. The one in the cockpit is they key. I agree that the best chance of rescue is with the crew, not the Coasties but if you cannot find, then the MOB position goes into their software that calculates the current, wind, etc. so an hour or two or 12 later, there is still a chance of recovery. Cheers!
OH, and the other thing is your countrymen's Vesper M-1. Expensive but worth every penny! Maybe they would sponsor you with a free model? Every crew member can download the software to his or her phone and can mark an MOB in 2 seconds and this goes right into the M-1 and shows up on all AIS screens in the 40+ mile AIS radius! Again, not that Indo fishing boats will have AIS but the commercial ships will.
@@SailingLearningByDoing A follower of yours sent me the links to two Follow the Boat vids about a guy who went over in remote Australia and was saved because he had a ais/gps/etc on him. That being said - the set up of the sea harness and jackline should not allow you to go over the life lines, even under full body weight. th-cam.com/video/LS06AKfIkIk/w-d-xo.html
@@justme.9711 Yes but its just not realistic. What if you need to move the jib sheet cars, these being right beside the toenail. If you can reach these then obviously you could also go over/under the lifelines. Jacklines are worse than useless if they dont allow you to access everything on the boat because if you need to reach something and can't then you need to detach from them. I have Jacklines running from Front to back on both sides.
@@SailingLearningByDoing Sorry for the harsh comment. I think I had a few and my filter dropped. Good video, Good practice. I struggle with this on my own boat. I tell everyone if you fall off your prolly gonna die... don't fall off.
@@saltlessshakedowns4999 No worries mate, no offence taken. I've mostly sailed solo myself and know that if I go over then I'm screwed. But getting Marie more confident and acquiring skills is very important here.
Danbouy is definitely a must have. You don’t see them on many boats nowadays. We also have a life ring with a light. These two go into the water first, then we simply heave-to by backing the jib and releasing the mainsheet. This stops you pretty quick, so the MOB could make it back to the vessel, if able, or you can manoeuvre the boat to them. I also haven’t practiced in a while, you just prompted us to do so.Thanks!
If you're doing 6-8 kts then by the time you're hove-to it will be a very long swim back for the person in the water.
@@SailingLearningByDoing but worth a try, giving abracadabra (and other commenters) method a try out - would be good to see if crash tacking (heaving-to) keeps to you closer to the MOB while you sort out engine and sails - be keen to see the video comparison of other ideas, let's get to the bottom of this.
Hi Guys. Top tip is to fold the dan-buoy flag concertina style, not roll it. Slide a short plastic tube like electrical conduit over the flag and attach the tube to the backstay with a line. When you deploy the buoy the tube will slide off and stay on the backstay. The flag will deploy instantly. If you can get a horseshoe buoy attached so that goes overboard with the dan-buoy even better. Maybe a little handheld GPS in the cockpit would be an idea if your plotter is below? They all have a mark or MOB button and that could be helpfull in big seas or in the dark? Just a thought. Sail Safe Guys, Ant, Cid & the pooch crew.
Good points guys, thanks. We actually have just such a plastic pipe for the flag to go into but I think the last owner had taped the flag up in order to get the flag back into the pipe.
I learned just today to roll the flag upon itself rather than around the pole. Great tip.
Pee in the scuppers when on watch. Another good practice is to drop a GPS waypoint at the start of each watch so you have a starting point if someone goes over unnoticed. Take note of your heading when someone goes overboard. In higher seas it is easy to lose sight of someone and get disoriented on direction, especially at night.
Another back up is to drag a line at least three lengths of the boat to grab as a last chance.
Number one rule as told to me by a captain many years ago. DON'T FALL OFF THE BOAT!
As a solo sailor your last point has always been my priority.
Thats a good idea with the waypoint every watch, will incorporate that.
As a point of interest: at 2 kts you can just hang on to that rope. At 4 kts you're going down!... if you can even hold on long enough. The rope idea is good provided its a floating rope with maybe a ski-handle on the end. You can use that to pull the victim to the boat. The rest of the time it'll just be drag.
@@paulcollett1479 I was thinking the same thing! Although, at night it could be useful, however, if you go over the side rails, you may be out of reach of the line that's going down the center of the stern. So maybe have two lines floating back, on the port side and one on starboard.
I just found your channel and I assure you… this is by far the best channel for sailing and a real life version of this dream that I’m working towards myself! Sincerely can’t thank you guys enough. I’ve watched 100 episodes in a week and will finish the other half next week and get caught up! Love this channel sooo much. Thank you guys
Wow thats cool, thanks for the message and glad you've been enjoying the video backlog. We just published our 250th episode so you've still got a ways to go and a heap of adventures to get through.
Good to see you doing this, and it is never a waste of time even for experienced crew on board, cheers and safe sailing
Thanks Geoff. Never a waste of time.
We don't see this enough on sailing channels - BRAVO, GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!
On all the channels I've watched, I can only recall it on Delos when they were in the Indian Ocean
@@chriszanf Fair call and sea harnesses are not as common as they should be, especially on the solo guys and gals I follow. Old sea dog and Wind hippie. Cause if you go over - your gone........
@@justme.9711 Follow The Boat did 2 episodes about a guy soloing that went overboard but was fortunate to survive!
Part 1: th-cam.com/video/yX3xgj2B_vU/w-d-xo.html
Part 2: th-cam.com/video/Z4B4es7OPNc/w-d-xo.html
@@chriszanf Terrifying. A miracle to be saved. I'll have a look at them, thank you.
@@chriszanf I just seen the first one and I'm about his age and Australian.
Thank you, out of all sailing channels I watch this is the first time in 5 years I've seen a MOB demonstration, fair winds
Thanks James, I hope you could learn something from this video. Very basic but maybe lifesaving to know these things.
Thanks for showing your system for MOB. (Nice quick recovery of the fender with the boat hook too).
I solo sail, so I run a 100 ft knotted floating yellow line behind the boat. (It steals some speed, but it gives me a chance if I go over). If I lose a passenger I immediately hove to and if I centre my boom I can usually sail in a messy circle (even with a back winded jib). My boat is not nearly as fast as yours so this works as my emergency brake and gives me time to sort out the panic. Cheers.
Hi Marius. Thanks. Many have comments on how they trail a long rope but I wonder how many have actually tried to use it? I have and I couldn't pull myself up it, actually the opposite, I found I would be dragged underwater. I'm thinking I might make a video about it to prove one way or another if its a myth.
Luckily the only "man overboard" situations I have experienced were drills, done on a 10 tonne yacht.
One suggestion. The way I was taught by an old salt, was to throw the yacht into an immediate 180 degree tack - without any sail adjustment! This has the effect of bringing the yacht to a sudden halt in a "heave to" situation. Then start the engine and motor back for the recovery. The headsail will be cross winded, the main will be doing it own thing - can be eased out as you motor back. This is definitely quicker than trying to ease the sails before turning on the motor.
I would like to compliment Marie on her wardrobe. Perhaps she needs more space to enlarge her selection?
Thanks Douglas, when we next try this we will be using both sails and will try this method as it makes a lot of sense to me.
I'd love for Marie to have more wardrobe space, now, where do I get the money for a bigger boat.🤣
As a former rescue boat skipper I've practiced many " man overboard drills " .
during an offshore race I was knocked overboard .no life jacket or safety line .my first thought was "don't panic" I blew air into my t-shirt to give extra flotation. The crew were panicking on kard they had never practiced a man overboard . The Danbouy was tied on too hard to release .the hardest part was lifting me on board .
The rest of the crew was traumztised but havinig practiced myself and having sailed lots of small dinghys for me it was just an afternoon dip .
My only fear was if there were any sharks down there looking for a feed
Yes, I never dealt with the sails at all, basically, you determine your turn around based on the angle of wind you are sailing, usually bearing off the wind is easier and needs no sail adjustments in an emergency. Still need to DUCK and not let the boom nail you and swipe you over as well! That lets you get a compass reading, start the engines, through out the danbouy, safety ring with a light, and anything else to help spot the MOB. It's a bit tricky as it is with just one person versus having two or more crew with you, so you have to react quickly as the distance you are traveling from the MOB is increasing faster than you think.
Brilliant video guys. Thank you so much for sharing and being genuine. You can never prepare enough for the unplanned situation. I love the fact you threw more things creating also a sort of orientation line towards the man who went overboard. Well done guys.
Our pleasure!
So many people don't show this. Thanks for that. The debris can also help them float. I would not have thought about that until I saw your test.
Thanks, glad you got some take away
Very good to have Your system for Your boat. My training had Stop the boat first. I am always amazed at how critical and difficult it is to keep a visual on the swimmer/MOB while performing your other actions. Thanks
Yep, that's the tough thing and if you do loose visual then its very difficult to find again or even know exactly which direction to begin looking. 2-3 other things floating makes a huge difference.
Hat overboard! At least you didn't do what my friend did when his hat blew off while sailing in Queensland - he jumped overboard after it while we were underway! The skipper wasn't best pleased and had a look of disbelief when it happened. Thankfully it was calm and we picked up my friend fairly quickly. Amazingly, he didn't even spill anything from the tin of beer he was holding as he jumped overboard! :) Great video and good to learn about throwing other stuff overboard to act as a marker trail to the MOB.
haha, good story. thanks for watching
I’m thinking first thing after the danbuoy is to turn the boat up into the wind. Stop making distance then start motor etc.
great episode 🤠
Also a hand held vhf clipped onto the person on watch,(if rough conditions) then if someone does go over you have contact with the vessel.
You may not be able to see them but they could well see you.
I tend to agree with Steve, Vern. The risk of going overbrd is much more likely at night and/or in a big sea. biscuit crumbing is cool if the engine doesn’t start but just a distraction from getting back to the MoB ASAP. Having been over myself it’s super demoralising watching your ride vanish over the horizon. Priority #1 must be to identify and return. But there’s many ways to skin a cat. So good on ya! 🤙🏻
Yes, if we had both Main and Jib up then this would be the way for sure.
Why is the risk higher at night? I know its a very bad situation if it happens but I disagree that it happens more often. Personally I take much more care at night so the risk is less in my view. Obviously, getting back as soon as possible is the biggest priority but if you can't see the person in the water then where are you going back too? 30 degrees this way or that way and you will never find them. If you time in our video how long it takes to throw in several items it was less than 30 seconds, this in my view is well worth it.
@@SailingLearningByDoing There are statistical studies that suggest we are more alert in the mornings and attention degrades from the afternoon on. Research tells us to get any surgery done in the morning! lol. But practically on sailboat, it's easier to not see a line/block/or anything on the deck and go A over T.
Great idea to do man overboard training and also promoting other cruisers to do some man overboard training. Thanks very much from the cruising community.
Thanks guys. Lots of feedback here and on FB so people are thinking about it.
Important video, thank you!
Great lesson I learnt, which especially helps while sailing short handed…
Lock the tiller/wheel to port or starboard and the boat will continuously tack and gybe in place automatically, so you reduce valuable distance and give time to plan in a panic situation.
Glad it helped!
Good Stuff TY! I really appreciate your commentary on the details of running the boat. I hope to be following in your track soon.
Glad it was helpful!
Great job Vernon and Marie! Good to see you practicing these life saving maneuvers that hopefully you'll never have to use. There is some great advise in the comments here. Thanks for bringing this important point up. Having worked on boats in the dive industry for decades in places with strong currents and doing plenty of night dives I've learned a few things sometimes the hard way.
I know there is a degree of discomfort to it but wearing an inflatable PFD while on deck seems like the ideal thing when you’re the only one on deck. Primarily in the case of someone falling overboard and getting knocked unconscious. Wearing one of these means you can attach a Personal Locator Beacon(PLB) to each PFD which makes finding the individual a lot easier. They are quite inexpensive now a days. Imagine if someone fell overboard from getting hit on the head from an accidental jibe, fainting for whatever reason, or you didn't hear them scream when you were down below (engine running for example). They make some small battery-powered strobes that you can attach to the PFD that are great for night time, too.
One of the things I've learned from my decades as a scuba diver that could be implemented onto a PFD is to carry an inflatable marker buoy (does the job of the danbuoy). You can find them at most dive shops inexpensively. It rolls up small and I attach a loud-sounding whistle to it. The whole thing is about the size of my palm. If you go this route get one that is bright yellow on one side and orange on the other. The bright yellow is great on cloudy day and the darker orange is great on sunny days or when searching in the direction of the sun. These marker buoys usually have a radar/light reflective tape on the top. I attached a rolled up dive flag on mine and the whole thing is attached to a 100ft finger spool so I can send it from the bottom as I start my ascent in fast currents (obviously you won't want all this extra stuff unless you're diving - I can go into more detail on this if you want). The extra floation can also help a person who is panicking in the water. When diving I even have a tiny submersible PLB that I take with me diving. Having worked in the dive industry I've had my share of lost divers and trying to locate a tiny dark head in a whole lot of ocean is a tough and heart-sinking experience.
I personally feel the best prevention is not falling off the boat in the first place by always being attached to a jackline especially when going forward and aft of the boat. Ideally, the jacklines should run near the center of the boat with the person’s hardness cinched taut enough so there is no chance of even going over the lifelines - a person dragging on the side of a boat moving is a recipe for disaster. Some sailors carry two clips on their harness so they can switch across different lifelines without ever being unattached.
Lastly, a quick look at your compass to get a heading can help immensely in case you lose your orientation when turning the boat around.
Good tips mate, thanks. I think your second point is pretty much already covered in most PFD's. When inflated they are a bright colour, there is always a whistle integrated as well as reflective material. We have small strobe lights also attached. I do have a small PLB but this wouldn't help ME find the person in the water, only SAR. We do have a system called PANPAN, these are small waterproof devices that are connected to by bluetooth to your phones/tablets on board and they set off an alarm when they go out of a preset range of the said phone/tablet and then allow you to also track back.
We didnt show any of this stuff as we were just training very basic steps on how to get back and find someone simply. We might film a more in-depth video about it all next time.
Brilliant Vid. Commercially and when off shore-racing, we do follow the same proceedure, and practice, and practice until it becomes second nature At night or times of poor vis we have learnt to carry a couple of the newer waterproof rechargable torches, that will float, in the cockpit. Thrown overboard at intervals , like your floats will give you a transit back to the MOB. Good luck with your travels and keep the vid's coming .
Awesome, thank you Rick.
Well done both of you with MOB exercises. Very good. Love you guys ❤️🌹🌹
Thank you so much!
Great job guys! This is really useful information that I haven't seen in other channels! Great stuff!
Thanks Lucas.
Great idea for a video! Brings up a lot of different ideas..
Glad you liked it
Getting MOB button access in cockpit would seem like a good idea here. I've always liked the idea of, when sailing, stopping boat via hove to when starting MOB procedure. Assuming MOB is found the hardest part is usually getting them out of the water back on board. Hypothermia, body fatigue, shock....even with an open transom, getting someone back is rough business. My boat...(J/37), has a swim ladder but no open transom. I use Danbouy and lifesling with a hoist system which is drilled routinely with crew. Even after some practice and crew confidence it is still a sketchy situation if it ever happens. Great to see you guys sharing your practice and safety considerations!!!
Good points. Heaving to seems an unnecessary complication in this situation. Either turn 180 and sail back or drop the sail and motor back. By the time you're hove to you'll still be several hundred meters away and then its pointless.
The open transom makes retrieval much easier but in a big sea for sure still difficult.
in my RYA course, they teach you to crash tack to stop the boat after you have started the engine. Once you have crash tacked, and you are effectively hove to, then you furl or bring down the jib. Your method is ok, but you lose time and have greater separation. You also had to approach victim upwind so that you dont blow over them and hit them with hull. The propellor had to be in neutral at that point so you dont mince your victim or you would fail exam.
awesome
Well done guys, when you have the person in the water , how you pick them up from the sea, we practiced with a net that rolled over the side , that person rolls themselves (if they can) sideways into it and you use the main halyard on a winch to roll and lift them up into the boat .
Great stuff Vernon. Would love to see it under full sail now.
Thanks Paul, we'll do that at some stage.
Great video idea. Thanks guys!
Our pleasure!
Thank you! Great instructional video
Glad it was helpful!
Good to do MOB, sailing on and off anchor, heaving two, every vessel and crew performs differently so good to do and to work it out. Nice to place it up on Tube as a reminder to fellow yachities.
Back in the day doing my inshore yacht master cert we would toss over an actual person which I imagine is not allowed anymore. Was startling how hard it is to drag a body onto the yacht, much harder than getting the core elements of the drill done. Striking the target was also a common issue so the boat becomes a risk when in close quarters. Great drill to do as often as needed to feel better about it and hopefully never experience for real.
Haha, yeah I think no-one would be allowed to train like that but in warm water its for sure the most realistic way.
The debris field is something I've not seen before. excellent peractice!
A few more needles in the haystack
A line in the water so you can loop the boat around someone and they can pick up the line.This avoids running into someone in the water or crashing down on them as you try and get close enough to pick them up. This line could be set dangling in rough sea or put in a throw bag and stored near the downbouy. A line in the water already it allows self rescue for anyone who falls over board. for me this is theory though trying to get it paracticed at my local yacht club with the bigger club boats. great video and a good heads up
Yep for sure. We have a permanent horseshoe float with 50m throw rope on the back rail.
Way to go you two! this training is invaluable for everyone who sails. Maybe one at night? That’s when you take it up a notch! Great job to you both!
That's the plan! Thanks Rico
Great video, good to learn from you
Im a solo sailor so haven't really thought about mob situations
But great ...
Will take away those lessons and hopefully never be in that situation
Thankyou
Glad it was helpful! I was mostly solo sailing before as well and never bothered with MOB stuff. Now though we thought it important to learn the basic's
Well done! I think what you should practice next is getting a person back onboard (especially Vernon who looks heavier than Marie) who may be unable to help much during that part of the rescue. Try different approaches and figure out what works best.
I never forgot a story about a man and wife in a storm off of Newfoundland Canada and she washed overboard but was harnessed to the boat but being older even though he got a hold of her in cold water and rough seas he could not get aboard and she eventually slipped out of her harness and was lost . Make sure you have proper harness and maybe a winch or some other mechanical means to lift a person back on to the boat .
I think next we'll practise doing it with both sails up
yep sad story, heard a couple like it. Sorta like shark attacks though, we hear about every single tragedy. For the hundreds of thousands/millions of people on the water every day there are very few fatalities.
I liked how Marie just drove straight past the fender you ... 😂. Well done for practicing it!
she's just practising for the real thing, drive off and leave me.
@@SailingLearningByDoing 😂😂
Excellent demo guys. Couple of observations and a suggestion.
First one - I might say that the first job of the 2nd of 2 crew is to remain onboard.
Second one. I'm wearing 3XL pants but I'm sure I could go between the strands of that transom fence. I pass through farm fences no bother. Wouldn't mind a vertical element there.
finally, a request/suggestion. A lot of single handers trail a line behind. I've never seen any of them test whether they can pull themselves back on board by it. Is it possible, and at what speed? how many chinups does it equate to?
Thanks. Yeah someone could slip through those wires for sure, same could be said for any and all lifelines on the sides of every boat. The are three vertical elements there already really, the tiller, the backstay and the wind vane.
I'm very sceptical on the theory of the towed rope. I think its more for self confidence than anything else. I'm planning on testing it out actually as I very much doubt I could pull myself up a knotted line fully dressed doing anything more than 1-2 kts.
Wow beautiful beach❤️❤️❤️
It really is!
Interesting session. I would have thought the first thing to do after creating your debris field would be to *** stop the forward motion by turning into the wind****. Then release the sheets unless your set up to heave to. Then, start your engine, turn back and furl the sails. Keep practicing.
Yeah exactly, stop your forward motion(drop the sails), turn 180 degrees and motor back.
First off, my hats off to the amazing lady on board. Marie is an amazing woman and is someone every Captain needs on board. I sensed with her the enormity of the situation and how nervous she was. Just thinking about the seriousness of saving someone's life can be daunting at best. She did an amazing job, kept calm, cool, and collected and saved the captain from those pesky sharks! I would go sailing anywhere with her, she has the drive, the tenacity, and fortitude you need out on the water during a passage. She is a keeper captain, don't lose her mate!!!!
I learned some great ideas from your video as well as from the comments! I love the danbouy idea, may also add a light to it as well, or the life ring with light. Also, I am sure everyone may have mentioned this but when on watch always wear a PFD with a MOB emergency beacon attached, and a WHISTLE as well. You may not SEE them but you will definitely HEAR them. The MOB Device should also be worn at all times by the person on the watch or anyone on deck, this device triggers on automatically and notifies you and other nearby boats of the MOB.
Love the waypoint setting each time someone comes on watch as well, and probably every 20 minutes as part of the watch process. Love the extra line dragging behind the stern, especially at night. Also taking note of direction quickly helps you reverse that compass heading when you turn around.
I know someone mentioned a heave-to and letting out the main asap to stop the boat's momentum, however, I was taught NOT to do this as you need to be able to control the boat and turn around as fast as you can. I never worried about the sail adjustments, always fell of the wind and spun her around, ducking to avoid the book hitting me and sending me overboard as well. If you are dead in the water, you waste precious time trying to get the boat around and backtracking, especially in a current of a few knots or if sailing at 4-8 knots on average. Even at 3-4 knots, you would be surprised how fast someone will get out of sight distance and away from you. Although, if the engine is fired up immediately, then you will have power so letting out the main and heav-to probably isn't an issue at that point.
Love the idea of rechargeable torches, that will float, for nighttime to throw overboard and act as markers for your return.
Stoked that you found the video useful. I also read through all the comments and saved a few of them to the ol memory banks. Marie did very well and it also gave me confidence knowing she at least has the basics now.
Well done, the most important exercise to practise regularly, particular in this most popular case of a two people crew.
What I like to ad, is the fact that in many cases a person might be injured or even unconscious, something you also need to consider! How do you lift a person on board?! I think it is important to include this probability and plan for it. Also there are devices to assist in this task imagine a 200 lbs person to bring on board by yourself! You will likely fail, even in calm seas!
The German yacht magazine did recently a review with those devices and even here, If I remember right only one device got rated satisfactory.
A good thematic to be discussed and hear what others have to say about!👍⛵️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️
Yep for sure
..... Congratulations on the work. .. Success, even. ... ŸŸ ™ ..
Thank you!
Great stuff Vernon. Just wonder if there is a way MOB button can be installed on the deck, and autopilot could be closer to the tiller. Excellent stuff guys.
Auto pilot is fine where it is, Marie was just unfamiliar with its location. MOB button in cockpit... When I next upgrade the chart plotter then I'll mount it in the cockpit and have the MOB handy.
Don't worry, there plenty more fish in the sea...., LOL SORRY! Couldn't help myself.
First thing to do is STOP the boat! Do this by heaving-to ... back the jib by tacking without releasing the jib sheet. Once the boat is relatively dead in the water, you have time to employ the other procedures.
I disagree. What happens when you heave to? You've changed direction by 90 degree maybe, maybe even more if you mess it up. You've lost your sense of direction in that moment and cat see your MOB anymore. This minute or 2 is the most important. I feel that getting the Danbouy and other floating objects in the water is more important as then your search will be much easier.
@@SailingLearningByDoing Heaving-to is quick ... throw the tiller over and stall the boat ... at least you won't move further away from the MOB ... I can't recall ever losing a directional sense ... a compass can help. However, once you return to the MOB, bringing him/her back onboard will be the tricky part.
You guys are great. Thank you for your vids 👍
Glad you like them!
Part two will be about how to get a real man back on the boat. Thanks for the video.
possibly, or maybe not
Nice job Marie! Rule #1 stay on the boat!
Yes! Thank you!
Here are my tips, on subject, tested myself:
1 - throw bouy
2 - remember compass bearing
......
3 - start engine
4 - stop the boat - (disable autopilot, head to wind, fold sails )
....
5 - set bearing = (point 2) - 180'
6 - search and rescue, or use radio.
in a stressful situation our brain senses get easy tricked,
so things like: estimating distance / position / lapsed time ... you WILL get it wrong!
training with fender doesnt give that. easiest condition neither.
You need 4 people to do it well.
3 on boat, 1 in dinghy.
1 of you jump to water (safety backup, nearby dinghy)
2 remaining people on boat (1 just watching, backup.. 2nd is doing all the drills)
thanks for the tips. We are just 2 people and we do what we can to practise. What I know for sure is that waiting till its 30kts, 3m swell and midnight and then telling Marie its time to train this for the first time will result in me sailing solo again. Baby steps, enjoy life and don't stress.
Hi, that was a successful training exercise. Number one first thing should be to cut the engine. I noticed you didn't wear a life vest. At night it's a good idea to clip in. To make it fun you could compete against your friends in their boat, doing this same thing. you guys did great. Thx 4 sharing.-C-
🙏
Good demonstration. Most likely, this channel would be renamed “Marie’s Sailing Learning by Doing”. Trying to get the exhausted or unconscious MOB back on to the boat is yet another challenge.
On our boat its much easier with the open transom
Yes I found it quite a project to get a big guy into an inflatable rib who had fallen off his boat. I saw one recommendation to take mainsail of mast track leave halyard attached, put in water, mob into sail then pull up halyard
@@chhindz Yeah for sure, a big waterlogged guy who is shocked, winded or whatever. But at least you have the guy, the panic of not knowing where someone is is the worst.
What if you tie the buoy to fenders at about 20 ft apart. Have it ready and it will point the way and you don't have to look around for things to throw out. Great video.
In a real situation I would have thrown the beanbag overboard or literally anything that would float. This exercise was obviously staged as we really just wanted to go through the basics.
Vern think one should point where Man overboard is at all times gives the capt idea where he is.
Yep I guess although in our case there is only one person left aboard so it sorta defeats the purpose.
Nice to know you have trained. Tough to steer and get hold of them in other conditions. A floating line thrown when close might help (or towed behind). Also worth thinking about how to get an exhausted/unconscious crew back on board.
This is exactly the point. MOB - if it happens - happens in foul weather. There is only one person left and I am sure that even Vernon would struggle to get Marie on board. Therefore of utmost importance are safety measures in heavy weather, e. G. to pick into lifelines at night.
Finding the person is the most important thing obviously. You dont have problems getting them aboard if you haven't found them.
The wagon in front of the horse. I agree, the issue of getting a person aboard is a big one but its zero issue if you dont not find the MOB.
@@SailingLearningByDoing fully agree, actually it is my worst imagination to face a MOB especially having friends who are much bigger in size than myself 😀
working with venomous snakes and crocodiles for over 30 years, one thing I always advise people who do things with risk. Never get complacent and think it won't happen even in the easiest seas. The moment you think it is easy and simple, that is when an accident will happen. "I never thought it would happen now, I am so experienced." is a famous line.
Yeah its hard though because as you gain experience you automatically get more relaxed.
Nice video and well presented
Thanks a lot
G day Guys unless the boat is going very slow you won’t be able to grab a line being towed behind the boat the problem is inertia, Try it please even tie knots in the rope see how you go,
always have a torch 25 bucks buys a Dolphin Lantern in the cockpit it doesn’t matter night and day that is the first thing to throw over and throw at the person in the water that is the first thing to happen,
Stay Safe Cheers 🍺🍺
Good points. I haven't tried the long rope but am pretty sceptical myself. Sailing at 8-9kts as we often do I feel it would be impossible to hang on let along pull yourself closer to the boat.
What about wearing a lifeline / tether to physically connect you to the boat when on deck? I noticed you did use one in earlier videos, but you don't seem to use one anymore, and I've been meaning to ask you why that is.
It seems like a pretty sure-fire way of not being lost at sea if you or a crew member fall overboard.
Yeah we do wear them when the conditions warrant it. So you reckon if we wear a tether then we should bother to learn MOB techniques? Waste of time?
Awesome job Marie! Loved this video. I'm a sailing idiot (at the moment) but just wondering at night is it normal to wear a waterproof light/whistle while on watch?
Yep for sure, a strobe is normally attached to the life vest.
Brilliant
Good video. As for me I would not worry about the sail as priority nr 2 . I rather just let it flap, start the engine and turn around to stay close to the MOB. But than the real issue starts…how do you rescue the MOB back on the boat ? I suggest you test and try different ideas…( especially if the MOB is unable to help ) try it with no waves and than with 1-2 m waves…huge difference and really tuff.
We had great difficulties… Maybe you find a better simple method…..I look forward to the next video
Cheers
Klaus
The problem with not getting the sails down is then you have to fight the boat. Once your turned around the sails will be pulling you maybe somewhere else than you want to go. Either sail back or motor back but not both I think.
We have a life-ring on a long rope system which I''ve tested before and also our open transom makes getting someone back aboard much easier. But yeah, add 2m of swell and anything becomes difficult.
@@SailingLearningByDoing I see you point Vernon, however if you let your sails flip freely in the wind it will make a lot of noise but will not pull you. With the main sail up you have anyway no other Joyce as it will take too much time to get it down ( at least on a lot of boats with high end sails) You are right all boats are different. We have a bathing platform on our Oceanis 46.1 which first we sought is great to get a MOB back on board but it turned out it is very dangerous in waves as it can easily hit you.
However thanks for your great videos and I look forward to see the next one.
cheers
Klaus
Hi Marie and Vernon 😊 Excellent video.. Alphie on "Life is like Sailing" on the west coast of Canada , has a Dan Buoy with battery operated , water deployed light.. but we never really gave the necessary thought to MOBS!! We will now because of your video!! ( we are Alberta ranchers still building our Dream boat , so we have time to smarten up!! Lol)
good to start thinking early. Nothing to really stress about though. there are very few fatalities from MOB's considering the amount of people at sea
'You guys are idiots and you're all gonna die' - but so is everyone! We know very little in the grand scheme of things & the crushing inevitability of life is that we'll die some day!
On a serious note.... You've established a really good drill with clear steps to take that have sub actions to each step. In simple terms its: 1. Mark the MOB. 2. Stop the boat. 3. Return to MOB.
I've done first aid at work for a decade so know its just carrying out practice that will reduce the situational panic and make those steps muscle memory.
If you have another person on board who is less experienced, you have to take control & give them clear steps to follow. For example, with first aiding, you dont ask if anyones called an ambulance because everyone will have bystander effect & just look at each other. You point at a specific person and say "I need you to call for an ambulance and tell me when its on its way" or "I need you to put pressure here to stem blood flow" and so on with each task. Point at them, give them a clear instruction & to report the result back to you. That person then has a simple set of tasks focusing them instead of being overwhelmed with the situation.
Being at sea, time is a major factor because the temperature of the sea, and the hour of the day can play heavily on the survival rate of the person.
Really great content again which is why you're one of my favourite sailing channels!
Thanks Chris, very good points.
Practice all the moves all the time even if you don't toss anything overboard just to get used to the moves. Do these drills at any time and often till you can do it without thinking and let muscle memory take over.
Good points
at night dragging a rope with a few knots would all allow the MOB get back on their own possibly.
I highly doubt that. I've tried it and couldn't but maybe I'll make a video about it as so many here have commented about it but I dont think they have personally tried it.
have you thought about a drag line?
You mean a line out the back at all times?
@@SailingLearningByDoing Too dangerous can get tangled in prop
I wouldn't spend time furling the headsail which can be a long process on a big boat. Turn into the wind first and let it flog unless there's a really strong wind. You should always approach the victim from downwind of him/her. When you get closer to the victim you can furl the headsail. The key is to minimise distance between the boat the victim. Big swells will make this much more critical. Not sure I'd bother with the fenders.
We have a small boat and furling the headsail takes 30 seconds maybe, Motoring back to the person in the water is then much easier and we have full vision forwards. A flogging sail, sheets jumping around, this just makes people more nervous and panicky. We found that the more things floating the vicinity of the person made it much easier to locate them. Whats a few fenders if it helps save a life?
Very different from what we have been trained to do for the Chicago to Mac race.
-Hit MOB button on VHF
-Keep an eye on the MOB
-Do not start engine, things are going to be crazy and there is likely a line in the water...if it fouls the prop you're screwed!
-Leave headsail alone and perform figure 8 back to MOB.
I have serious doubts that a non-sailor partner could watch a MOB, deploy floatation devices, douse the jib, start the motor and find the way back to the MOB
yep for sure, she would have even less chance of pulling it out without practise.
@@SailingLearningByDoing For sure...we have to do it every year.
Depends.......who is it?
So why not have a life harness and be clipped into the boat anytime one of you is in the cockpit by themselves? You had ideal conditions. Put a 2m or 3m swell on things and the person driving the boat may not even be able to track them and the person in the water may not even survive the time it takes to get to them. I spent 15 years working on ships and even with a dozen people on deck I wouldn't trust them to find me if I went over. One has to consider a worst case scenario to really understand this.
True but more accidents happen in good conditions because people take it for granted, move about more feely etc. When there is a big sea running everyone takes more care, clips in etc. So it makes sense to train for this eventuality as well.As I stressed, several times, this was basic training.
Lots of interest, doesn't hurt to practice, night could tow line with reflections,
Thanks. Yeah someone else commented about reflective stuff. We plan on sewing some strips into the Danbouy flag for sure. Our life vests have reflective strips already
That was great, Can we BBQ now?
Take care.
Thrown another shrimp on the barbi
A number of issues.
The fender alone is not a good representation of a COB. Tie a bucket to the fender whip and a fender will drift more like a person. Note that most Dan-Bouys have a small sea anchor at the bottom so they stay near(ish) a person in the water. You'll find the fender and bucket is EASIER than just a fender. So is a COB.
Case studies, including a report of over 1,000, have shown that if you are under sail you should stay under sail. People have drowned in sight of a boat with a line wrapped around the prop.
Look up Quick Stop. My preference. I learned Williamson Turn but Quick Stop is better.
I'm a fan of heaving to windward of COB. The boat drifts down on the COB so they are close. The other approach is to leeward and the rationale is that the boat doesn't ride over the COB, but the boat does blow away.
How are you going to get an 80 kg person on board if you're a 55 kg woman? People have drowned because they can't be gotten aboard. Hint: over the stern is a poor answer in a sea. Halyard usually works best.
Think about someone hitting their head on the way over.
Good for you for the effort. Keep working.
All good tips, thanks.
We had 2 man overboard incidents in a 5 year circumnavigation. One in the middle of the Indian Ocean in big swells and tradewinds. In both cases when we got the person back, I have never seen such white faces.
Wow, scary stuff. Both during daylight hours?
@@SailingLearningByDoing Yes, the first one was on the way from Darwin to Bali, nice weather. We would hang off the mainsheet and drag in the water when running downhill. Unfotuneatley the guy had been baking and had butter on his hands! You think he would have learned his lesson, because he had been doing it days before and came screaming out of the water with a bluebottle around his penis😅
The 2nd occasion was much more serious as we had twin head sails poled out and the motor was sometimes hard to start. We had ladders on our shrouds and sent somebody up there to watch while we got the sails down. We got the danbouy out pretty quick but would have been 150 meters away by the time we got the boat turned around.
scary how quickly the distance and speed makes thing just disappear into the background, get some glow sticks in case it happens at night, just tie one to the Dan buoy to make it visible at night.
Good idea with the danbouy. We have small strobes on the life vests.
So, Vernon, I agree that eyes on is most important but if you do not hit the man overboard button, and if you do not recover the person almost immediately (which you acknowledge can sometimes be hard to do) then you have doomed the "man" overboard, since SAR will not be able to enter a position into its very precise software to determine search area and have a chance at recovery. Now, In Indo, maybe that doesn't matter anyway but anywhere with a competent Coast Guard, an accurate MOB position from the chartplotter is SAR's best hope.
Thanks for your comment. As I said, I've considered this a bit. I personally would rather back myself to find the person and would rather have my eyes on them at all times. While I'm down below, holding the MOB button for 30 seconds and some waves hit the bow and we change direction 20 degrees, then I go back up and have totally lost the person in the water. Yes, I now have a GPS point but its also not exactly where the person is. Obviously best would be to have a MOB button in the cockpit and this is something I might do before our next big crossing.
@@SailingLearningByDoing You're welcome. Having installed AIS finally this year, I am very convinced that at night, the only real way to find the person is if she is wearing a SART that will show up right on your AIS screen. Big bucks -- about $400-500 a pop -- so I am hoping the price goes down! I also have an inflatable danbuoy that sits in the cockpit and the crew learns that is the first thing to toss. It inflates 6ft with a strobe light and it has straps that the MOB can put her arms into to stay afloat. It is a bright neon green. On my MOB (raytheon E7) you just press and hold the MOB button for two seconds and the position is marked so I am not understanding the 30 seconds you mentioned. I have a E7 in the cockpit and one down below. The one in the cockpit is they key. I agree that the best chance of rescue is with the crew, not the Coasties but if you cannot find, then the MOB position goes into their software that calculates the current, wind, etc. so an hour or two or 12 later, there is still a chance of recovery. Cheers!
OH, and the other thing is your countrymen's Vesper M-1. Expensive but worth every penny! Maybe they would sponsor you with a free model? Every crew member can download the software to his or her phone and can mark an MOB in 2 seconds and this goes right into the M-1 and shows up on all AIS screens in the 40+ mile AIS radius! Again, not that Indo fishing boats will have AIS but the commercial ships will.
@@MADsailing560 That Vesper unit looks great! Thanks
I think it should be practised every 3 months.
At least before passages or when new crew come aboard.
@@SailingLearningByDoing A follower of yours sent me the links to two Follow the Boat vids about a guy who went over in remote Australia and was saved because he had a ais/gps/etc on him. That being said - the set up of the sea harness and jackline should not allow you to go over the life lines, even under full body weight. th-cam.com/video/LS06AKfIkIk/w-d-xo.html
@@justme.9711 Yes but its just not realistic. What if you need to move the jib sheet cars, these being right beside the toenail. If you can reach these then obviously you could also go over/under the lifelines. Jacklines are worse than useless if they dont allow you to access everything on the boat because if you need to reach something and can't then you need to detach from them. I have Jacklines running from Front to back on both sides.
WOW... All I get from this is you are fucked if you go in the water. You will never have these conditions or this reaction time. What else you got?
So you learnt to run before walking? Special you are then. If that's all you got form it then I think you must be special indeed.
@@SailingLearningByDoing Sorry for the harsh comment. I think I had a few and my filter dropped. Good video, Good practice. I struggle with this on my own boat. I tell everyone if you fall off your prolly gonna die... don't fall off.
@@saltlessshakedowns4999 No worries mate, no offence taken. I've mostly sailed solo myself and know that if I go over then I'm screwed. But getting Marie more confident and acquiring skills is very important here.
Perfect! Hopefully you will not do it for real...
🤞🏻
I would swim.
Acting!!!
got me
@@SailingLearningByDoing Think SNL, Jon Lovetts, Master Thespian. "Acting!"
I love your videos.