I Love hearing the experts comment on this... They have never sailed before obviously. You blokes did alright. Yes there are mistakes. The harder it blows the easier they are to make. In all you guys did a good job. Everybody safe. Well done.... Daz Etchell sailor. Aus 1019
A well drilled crew and life jackets. Having safe fun. So good to see and learn from. Ive been sailing 50 years and every day is different and new and always something learnt. Thats the joy of sailing. Whatever boat and wherever it is.
Thanks for posting, this gives us a way to learn from a mistake without actually doing that. Also gives a great reality factor on the circumstances these things happen. I see it very useful and valuable.
Can you talk about why exactly you broached and how you could have avoided it for learning. Seemed like it rounded up a bit too far that caused it 🤷♂️
The skipper was a very fortunate man, as the crew knew how to react on this situation. The most difficult part is to watch the person on water and to maneuver to get back against the wind.....
Everything about this is great. Pushing hard as the wind speed goes beyond the rig in a short time. Broach, MOB and release the kite. Recovery process was calm, fast and effective . I though the MOB recovery entry speed was too much but the wind pressure and boat size resulted in a perfect and safe hold next to the guy, ready with recovery rope and people to pull him in. All the time from the incident, there is a MOD announcement, clearly the helmsman is keeping track of his location. As they return they are scouting for him continously. All-round excellent job pushing a boat to the limits and getting wet, yes its maybe a bit dangerous but this is a matter of personal preference and part of the experience. I would certainly crew with them any time.
Thanks Trygve-it was my partner who made the comment but I'll take the credit lol. He's a pretty experienced seafarer been a commercial fisherman and hobbie sailor for years down here in New Zealand. We are getting another yacht (34ft steel Julian design) to get back out there amongst it. He enjoyed the footage of you guys doing your thing (he thought it a excellent teaching point and learnt something from your experience) Great going and pleasant sailing everyone :)
We wear life jackets so not necessary to throw the life ring. Yes, we always carry a life ring on board. No, we weren't racing. Sure, it was hectic. That's why we do these things, no?
cold water is an amazing thing. you truly cant fathom the experience of it until you've been in it for an extended period of time. in my younger much more stupid days i swam across echo lake in northern California on a bet. not a big accomplishment by itself. but in 40 degree water it gave me a new appreciation for what happens to sailors in cold water. and the cold doesnt just go away when you get out or dry off. it takes alot of time and energy to warm back up.
Sheeesh how easily it is to come up with all these woulda,coulda,shoulda done comments. And naturally everyones the expert? Personally I take my hat off to you guys getting out there and doing it (extremely sharky waters). Lessons were learnt? Experiences gained by all onboard that day. Well Done guys.
@NutritionJoe Thanks for your comments.I was the helmsman. I am off camera - you can just see my cap at the bottom of the frame. We have our lifelines quite slack so we can hike the boat hard. You can see from my cap position that I was actually hiking quite far outboard - much further than any of the crew. In fact we had tightened the lifelines up quite a bit just the week before. local rules indicate that they may not touch the deck. We use different tension for the crew who hike up front.
@pandemonium485 Very good question. We have never sailed with harnesses before - just too restrictive on a boat requiring so much agility, but I am now wearing a harness under certain conditions.
Trying to imagine what happens if you fall overboard from a boat at 20knots and the boat starts towing you in the water at that speed, I am not sure if it would help me stay alive or opposite. Unless, of course, start waterskiing...
Gr8 retrieval. A real bonding session. I was a MOB on my first invite. Skipper was caught in Irons. I learnt a new sailing term. Also one hand for the boat...one hand for yourself! I own and skipper my own 23' Hood. Its a great yacht that survives my hand on the tiller. Having a HD 2 & now a HD 3 makes the learning curve easier each week. Look at getting a Horizon True from USA...Jeff Mootz has a great product. I now have 2 of them. Debrief with a drink post race...its a hoot. Regards, Michael.
Great recovery and good job from the crew. I think you guys were right on the edge when you hit the wave with the bow first time. I think that I'd easy the vang a bit more and deopower the main at some point but I wasn't there. I don't think you had time to react while the gust hit you. Again great recovery work and the crew acted cool headed. Good luck and stay safe.
Clap!Clap!Clap! Very good end! I saw your comments on Sailing Anarchy, many lessons to learn. Excellent!! crew and boat. Greetings from Mar del Plata Arg
Nice recovery. Glad to see you get back on board. Your crazy flying a spinaker in 30 knots. I only fly a 90% jib no main and struggle to keep below 15 degree heel
This is why I don't take anyone on the water without a life vest. Treading water continuously for ten minutes or potentially longer would be difficult for many people.
@Kospictures Thans for the kind words. i have seen your vid before. The J80 is quite a lot more stable than the Pacer 27. Boat design dictates (as you know). The Pacer has a very fine entry and the big, wide, chined stern. in flat water, we usually dont worry too much about pullling the bowman or mastman to sit behind the skipper, but once the waves get nasty, we will do that. The big masthead kite (68 sq.m) is a handfull for one guy, so we have two guys hauling on the sheet. Winch is too slow.
Kayla - I love readers with IQ. Sensible and smart comment! By the way, most of the sharks prefer the warmer waters to the east of Cape Point in the Indian Ocean. Table Bay doesn't have that many sharks and we have certainly never seen one in a decade of sailing there. We do see basking sharks, sunfish, whales, seals and dolphins, but never sharks. I'm sure there are some around, but nothing like the populations in False Bay, which is about 60 nautical miles to the east.
Maybe if you move your crew weight back a bit more the bow wouldn't submarine like that and load up the rig. It worked for me on my J22 doing that speed too. Well...16.9 anyway :-) Excellent footage, good recovery, great seamanship.
There's one big difference - this is not a J24, a boat which has a sinking track record, so to speak. We have all our halyards which go into the cabin - it's actually quite difficult having the washboard in place as the pitman/piano player struggles to get to the "keyboard" - When it's rough weather, we pull the companionway slide all the way back, which stops most of the deck water from going below. In short, on this boat, sailing with the cabin sealed off is easier said than done.
@Kospictures OK, Here's the drill: Shout Man Overboard! Life ring and danbouy thrown at MOB; Hit the MOB button on GPS; one person points at MOB and does not take his eyes off him; If any difficulties or doubt about a successfulrecovery call a PAN-PAN emergency or a MAYDAY. Approach MOB on a fetch with main only. Park the boat to windward of victim. Use heel and width of boat to lever MOB back onboard. treat for hypothermia if needed. Cancel MAYDAY if MOB recovered successfully.
Watch this multiple times. hit pause and then advance the video by placing cursor on the advance button on the video time line. Couple of thoughts. Life lines way too slack versus ISAF requirements- and no this wont stop what happened---just an observation. Cannot really tell who is the skipper until the boat pops up again. The last guy aft in white- closest to the camera is not I think. He seems to be main sheet guy. Broach starts at 1:31. MOB call is at 1:50, good reason to hold on to a line
Yup, the value of a well trained and competent crew is important, as is a chain of command. Captain goes over, the crew need to know who is in charge. I'd like to believe we'd do as well if our captain was MOB.
Best real MOB video I've ever seen. Can I ask why they approached the MOB on the windward side? I suppose it makes it easier to see the target and round up quickly on passing without running over the victim, and easier to pass a line to him without sending somebody off the rail. The books all talk about placing the boat above, so it's easier to climb aboard, and of course there would be less chop to the leeward. But I suppose in practice with a sailboat, other factors come to play. Is that the method you practice?
+spelunkerd Thanks for the compliment on the video. I did an upgraded version with narration which better explains our methodology and other issues on that day. the link is under the video. In this particular boat with low freeboard, we always found it easier to get a MOB nack on the windward side and in the extreme winds we sail in, there is always the danger of the boat going over the MOB if he is on the leeward side.
I'm a crap sailor and I know it so I'm not going to give you any advice except maybe it is better to keep the boat the right way up, but I suspect you know that. Was very impressed with the mob recovery, you seemed to approach him quite fast but then stopped at just the right place. Hat of to you all.
@NutritionJoe Wind speed started at 28 knots, built very quickly to upper 30's and peaked at 48 knots max gust. If you read the article on SA there is a graph of the wind speed that day and hour. Click on it and view full size.
Great sailing and recovery Trygve. Had my first experience on board Sean's Pacer 27 on the Vaal today (good fun but wind disappeared...as always). Farid
An MOB is very serious and where I sail (solent, UK) i'd defiantly put a mayday call out so that the lifeboats are ready to go if there are problems in retrieving the guy.
Under those conditions they should have had that opening to the cabin fully sealed! Apart from that they did very well . Congratulations all. Under those conditions , do not let the boat heal too much and that takes a sensitive skipper on the rudder and quick acting crew on the lines.
That was one scary event. 10 minutes in 11c water is a long time. Hopefully more of your crew is now trained in proper technique for MOB (always want to approach upwind, preferably to leeward). While I've never had an MOB situation, once on the North Atlantic in about 25 knots lost a dinghy which was improperly lashed. I was not on watch, and my crew woke me, telling me the dinghy had gone over. I don't like to spend an extra couple thousand if I don't have to, I retook the helm, put my crew on watch, and we spotted it. Went upwind, and brought her back onboard (my bad in poor lashing).
We are already stacked up like sardines with the skipper's back flush against the stern pushpit arm. Not possible to get further aft than what we already are. The theory is good no doubt.
Agreed. It would have been better to just go with the main. Remember the boat was without it's skipper, so not all the decisions were correct, but there were enough good ones to ensure a successful result. Also note we regularly sail in those conditions, so it's not that intimidating for us.
@NutritionJoe This boat is built in Cape Town, South Africa. It is a registered one design class. The manufacturers are Pacer Yachts (just Google them). Just a rough guide I would say about US$ 45,000 incl racing sails and road trailer. Lifting keel/removable rudder. Tows nicely. Contact the builders and import one in a 40 ft container. Should fit, no problem. PHRF rates 1.080 and IRC 1.054 (which sucks)
Well Done! I am really amazed if you didn't loose sight of him in all the confusion. It appears the helmsman kept checking his position throughout, even so, a man alone among the waves is hard to spot. So any day everyone get home safe is a good day right!
All crew followed correct procedure, however, perhaps approaching the MOB from a position more downwind so that the boat can come up into the breeze and slow right down next to the MOB. Reason for this is that the MOB may be injured and may require more time to get back on board which is difficult to do if the boat is still moving. All in all though, great procedure in the hailing, locating and pointing out of the MOB
Aah, Table Mountain. I had quite a view of it from the apartment we rented in Blouberg. The last time I was in SA was in 2008. Nice job following the broach. The Pacer's hull shape with it's retractable keel reminds me of a Melges.
I think it was a decent job; stopped right beside the MOB. They would have had to bring in the spinnaker to continue safely and in control, and by that time they would have blown a long way downwind, so they had a long way upwind to get back to the MOB. If you never broach a racing boat, you're not trying hard enough.
Well done guys. Would be great to see that ten minutes of recovering chute and squaring away for rescue. Did you have to cut anything? Nice work in all that chaos.
However, if they had to beat back upwind for a way, and it seems like there was some time required the jib would certainly help you get back to the MOB faster, and it's easy to douse the jib when you are on station, no?
You and your crew are obviously decent sailors. Maybe add a dry suit or a wet suit to your sailing gear when you go out in that stuff. Nice write up on SA. I think anyone that pushes it has stories that scare the hell out of them. Keep it up.
I lost my crew overboard from a 15ft jib/main dinghy in rough weather and cold water. We were wearing drysuits. I was a bit new and uncomfortable how I would manage to get back to her but somehow pulled it off and pulled her back in. It occurred to me she would never be able to do it if the roles were reversed.
Art Smith Sailors don’t become good by staying onshore. There are risks in life. Most of us survive. It’s those terrifying moments that stay with you forever and make you a wiser sailor.
Much ado about sharks. Last thing I would care about. If you're not part of a food chain and just dangling in the water for ten minutes, there's almost zero chance of a shark attack...people watch too many movies. Daytime too, no worries. Great job with dealing with a tough situation.
Great video. Amazing what youtube can show me of what can happen with sailing a boat. I guess the odds of this is happening if i just want to cruise would be low right? I do not want to get to these speeds id reef the main and maybe even lower the front sail? How does one prevent broaching even if not racing?
Hi, while cruising downwind in heavy air, drop the main and keep the head sail. Reduce the headsail as needed until you get the stormjib out. Make sure you don't head to ground. If so, you'll have to get the mainsail back, heavily reefed (or a storm main sail) to get on the correct course.
OK. So you're not a sailor. Definition from Wikipedia - A sailboat broaches when its heading suddenly changes towards the wind due to wind/sail interactions for which the rudder cannot compensate. This happens when the aerodynamic force on the rig greatly exceeds the hydrodynamic force on the hull, due to a sudden increase in wind strength or turbulent sea conditions. In small boats and dinghies, broaching can lead to a death roll. In larger boats broaching can lay the mast horizontal, putting both rig and crew at risk. It can be particularly dangerous when racing other boats at close quarters. More succinctly, a broach is "to slew around on a wave front."[1] Another source says it is "extremely dangerous" and likens it to turning broadside and losing control in following seas, so as to present the ship's side to oncoming large waves. In that event, the ship may "trip" on its keel, roll, capsize and turn turtle.
Great video! I know it's a balancing act with that much wind, but I was wondering if the broach or round-up was caused by a wind gust, rudder venting, larger wave or a temporary imbalance and excessive heeling (or all of the above)?
+Maxi Marine Yeah! probably all of the above. This boat has a very slim, narrow rudder blade and there is hardly any warning before it stalls out. It requires extremely sensitive helming with a strong sense of anticipation and knowledge of the boat's limits, which we were clearly still exploring!
Did you throw a life ring??Isnt this a vital piece of equipment to use when boating?Was this during a race?Hectic to fly a spinnaker in those conditions..
In conditions like this I wouldn't have been surprised to see rescue services called for losing that crew member and ten minutes seems like a long time. Were they contacted? If not, at what point or what changes in circumstances would have made you call?
It would be normal to have put out a MayDay call as soon as possible after the broach; once the acting skipper could ascertain the extent of the danger to the MOB. With hindsight, the call should have been made within the first 2 minutes once the boat and crew were separated by more than 100m. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but seldom works when there is an emergency underway. All the important critical decision functions would normally be made by me (the skipper) and I was the only person with a VHF radio licence (not that anyone would have objected to an unlicenced crewmember putting out a MayDay. The MayDay protocol was affixed to the bulkhead above the VHF for all crewmembers to be able to easily follow the procedure. It was one of the many thoughts going through my mind as I waited for the crew to return to fetch me.
Tryg, Giday mate-displaced Aussie living in Newport, RI. Thanks for the comments. What was true wind speed that day, I can recall no reference to same? Life lines issues based on my reading of ORC for offshore boats. Do you have different regs locally for sport boats? Also, having been washed of a 12 years ago and caught up in the sheets, my first response is can I hang onto a line---BUT in the 12 we were going , gee 9 knots, just rounded a mark and the "sheets" were 8 mm gal wire then cheers.
I don't know if this helps or is even correct for all boats. But ive had and still have some boats from 12' to 27' that dont follow convention. Either that or we are all getting it wrong. Up wind if we are overpowered, we ease the main right? Here is the problem, off wind we do the same. Ive learned the hard way, on most cats and some narrow beam monohulls, you stuff them. I think i know why. But please dont hold me to this...lol. The main sail like all sails jas a point of pressure. That effects the tiller ( hence how you can steer without a rudder by playing with the main and gib (genoa etc). Now bear with. When you ease the main upwind, it luffs. When you ease it off wind it doesn't, it just moves the pressure point forward....stuffing the bow down and stopping any chance of getting over its displacement hull length speed. What works for me on my international Fireball, newcat F1 and a Gibsea picoplus i sail sometimes is counter intuitive i know. But i sheet in the main and bear away a bit. This forces the pressure point back and reduces power and has little rolling effect that far off the wind. Dunno guys, but it works for me. Fair winds and calm seas to you all.
after the broach what made you put up the jib in those kind of conditions? wouldn't it have been much easier to go with just the main? as you plucked him out of the water i would have been pissed if my crew let both my sails shake the rig and almost disintegrate themselves. very good crew work and very nice vid. wow you guys were hauling ass!!!
I've only ever sailed high performance skiffs with an asymmetric, so maybe it's different on larger boats, but we always keep the boat flat going down wind, sailing down if it leans away and up if it leans towards you. But in this video I notice you spend large amounts of time with a large lean away. Which means you are always close to broaching. Is there a reason for this in a larger boat?
Personally, I think having a spinnaker up when you have a main already reefed seems silly to me . And whoever was on the spinnaker sheet shoulda blown that sucker right away. Good lesson learned here tho and it’s a good reminder to inform your crew as to what they should do if shit hits the fan. Thanks for posting
Day sailing at 5 knots is enjoyable but when your pushing your boat in high winds with full sail why wouldn’t you make sure everyone is tethered to the boat? Priceless Best advice is to not have any mob to begin with or at least with a few short tugs will get back on board by themselves. Just a thought I know sailors on fastnet races even with years experience still are tethered to their boat respectively.
a 10 min MOB, is (IMO) shocking... now this could be cause im doing my instructor cert and were scare mongered into thinking if you dont get them very quickly your f****d :L but nice vid, looks like some epic sailing!
Amazingly good seamanship, while sailing, recovering from the broach, and recovering from the MOB. I take my hat to you all.
I Love hearing the experts comment on this... They have never sailed before obviously. You blokes did alright. Yes there are mistakes. The harder it blows the easier they are to make. In all you guys did a good job. Everybody safe. Well done.... Daz Etchell sailor. Aus 1019
A well drilled crew and life jackets. Having safe fun. So good to see and learn from. Ive been sailing 50 years and every day is different and new and always something learnt. Thats the joy of sailing. Whatever boat and wherever it is.
The entire purpose of posting the video was to entertain and educate. Some people post silly comments - that's part of the TH-cam culture.
Thanks a lot for posting it!
Thanks for posting, this gives us a way to learn from a mistake without actually doing that. Also gives a great reality factor on the circumstances these things happen. I see it very useful and valuable.
What s funny bout Great Whites?
Can you talk about why exactly you broached and how you could have avoided it for learning. Seemed like it rounded up a bit too far that caused it 🤷♂️
Nice that you went back for the skipper. Many crew would have mutinied and continued on to Australia is similar circumstances.
not enough beer on board to make it that far
The skipper was a very fortunate man, as the crew knew how to react on this situation. The most difficult part is to watch the person on water and to maneuver to get back against the wind.....
Everything about this is great. Pushing hard as the wind speed goes beyond the rig in a short time. Broach, MOB and release the kite. Recovery process was calm, fast and effective . I though the MOB recovery entry speed was too much but the wind pressure and boat size resulted in a perfect and safe hold next to the guy, ready with recovery rope and people to pull him in. All the time from the incident, there is a MOD announcement, clearly the helmsman is keeping track of his location. As they return they are scouting for him continously. All-round excellent job pushing a boat to the limits and getting wet, yes its maybe a bit dangerous but this is a matter of personal preference and part of the experience. I would certainly crew with them any time.
10 minutes of freedom without a skipper! Good teamwork!
Thanks Trygve-it was my partner who made the comment but I'll take the credit lol. He's a pretty experienced seafarer been a commercial fisherman and hobbie sailor for years down here in New Zealand. We are getting another yacht (34ft steel Julian design) to get back out there amongst it. He enjoyed the footage of you guys doing your thing (he thought it a excellent teaching point and learnt something from your experience) Great going and pleasant sailing everyone :)
We wear life jackets so not necessary to throw the life ring. Yes, we always carry a life ring on board. No, we weren't racing. Sure, it was hectic. That's why we do these things, no?
cold water is an amazing thing. you truly cant fathom the experience of it until you've been in it for an extended period of time. in my younger much more stupid days i swam across echo lake in northern California on a bet. not a big accomplishment by itself. but in 40 degree water it gave me a new appreciation for what happens to sailors in cold water. and the cold doesnt just go away when you get out or dry off. it takes alot of time and energy to warm back up.
great video. demonstrates clearly why you need to wear your lifejackets. Nice view of Table Mountain in the back. Thanks for posting this.
Sheeesh how easily it is to come up with all these woulda,coulda,shoulda done comments. And naturally everyones the expert? Personally I take my hat off to you guys getting out there and doing it (extremely sharky waters). Lessons were learnt? Experiences gained by all onboard that day. Well Done guys.
@NutritionJoe Thanks for your comments.I was the helmsman. I am off camera - you can just see my cap at the bottom of the frame. We have our lifelines quite slack so we can hike the boat hard. You can see from my cap position that I was actually hiking quite far outboard - much further than any of the crew. In fact we had tightened the lifelines up quite a bit just the week before. local rules indicate that they may not touch the deck. We use different tension for the crew who hike up front.
Excellent Video, Great Crew work... All these know it alls, couldn't have gotten it done faster or better, and that without the skipper on board.
@pandemonium485 Very good question. We have never sailed with harnesses before - just too restrictive on a boat requiring so much agility, but I am now wearing a harness under certain conditions.
Trying to imagine what happens if you fall overboard from a boat at 20knots and the boat starts towing you in the water at that speed, I am not sure if it would help me stay alive or opposite. Unless, of course, start waterskiing...
Gr8 retrieval. A real bonding session. I was a MOB on my first invite. Skipper was caught in Irons.
I learnt a new sailing term. Also one hand for the boat...one hand for yourself!
I own and skipper my own 23' Hood.
Its a great yacht that survives my hand on the tiller.
Having a HD 2 & now a HD 3 makes the learning curve easier each week.
Look at getting a Horizon True from USA...Jeff Mootz has a great product. I now have 2 of them.
Debrief with a drink post race...its a hoot.
Regards,
Michael.
Great recovery and good job from the crew. I think you guys were right on the edge when you hit the wave with the bow first time. I think that I'd easy the vang a bit more and deopower the main at some point but I wasn't there. I don't think you had time to react while the gust hit you. Again great recovery work and the crew acted cool headed. Good luck and stay safe.
Great video and thanks for sharing. Really shows how fast things can turn
We walked great! Speed, Wind, splashing water from cut waves... Impressive!
Clap!Clap!Clap! Very good end! I saw your comments on Sailing Anarchy, many lessons to learn. Excellent!! crew and boat.
Greetings from Mar del Plata Arg
That was too exciting even from the couch.
Great job. Things happen. It’s how you deal with it. Life vests critical. Gave the skipper rest after the sudden shock
Nice recovery. Glad to see you get back on board. Your crazy flying a spinaker in 30 knots. I only fly a 90% jib no main and struggle to keep below 15 degree heel
That weren't 30knots, look at the sea, it's more or less flat, and besides spinniker would get torn to shreds in 30knot winds
This is why I don't take anyone on the water without a life vest. Treading water continuously for ten minutes or potentially longer would be difficult for many people.
lancer D 11C water is the issue. At that temperature especially be wearing pfd
@Kospictures Thans for the kind words. i have seen your vid before. The J80 is quite a lot more stable than the Pacer 27. Boat design dictates (as you know). The Pacer has a very fine entry and the big, wide, chined stern. in flat water, we usually dont worry too much about pullling the bowman or mastman to sit behind the skipper, but once the waves get nasty, we will do that. The big masthead kite (68 sq.m) is a handfull for one guy, so we have two guys hauling on the sheet. Winch is too slow.
Kayla - I love readers with IQ. Sensible and smart comment! By the way, most of the sharks prefer the warmer waters to the east of Cape Point in the Indian Ocean. Table Bay doesn't have that many sharks and we have certainly never seen one in a decade of sailing there. We do see basking sharks, sunfish, whales, seals and dolphins, but never sharks. I'm sure there are some around, but nothing like the populations in False Bay, which is about 60 nautical miles to the east.
Maybe if you move your crew weight back a bit more the bow wouldn't submarine like that and load up the rig. It worked for me on my J22 doing that speed too. Well...16.9 anyway :-) Excellent footage, good recovery, great seamanship.
There's one big difference - this is not a J24, a boat which has a sinking track record, so to speak. We have all our halyards which go into the cabin - it's actually quite difficult having the washboard in place as the pitman/piano player struggles to get to the "keyboard" - When it's rough weather, we pull the companionway slide all the way back, which stops most of the deck water from going below. In short, on this boat, sailing with the cabin sealed off is easier said than done.
@Kospictures OK, Here's the drill: Shout Man Overboard! Life ring and danbouy thrown at MOB; Hit the MOB button on GPS; one person points at MOB and does not take his eyes off him; If any difficulties or doubt about a successfulrecovery call a PAN-PAN emergency or a MAYDAY. Approach MOB on a fetch with main only. Park the boat to windward of victim. Use heel and width of boat to lever MOB back onboard. treat for hypothermia if needed. Cancel MAYDAY if MOB recovered successfully.
Watch this multiple times. hit pause and then advance the video by placing cursor on the advance button on the video time line. Couple of thoughts. Life lines way too slack versus ISAF requirements- and no this wont stop what happened---just an observation. Cannot really tell who is the skipper until the boat pops up again. The last guy aft in white- closest to the camera is not I think. He seems to be main sheet guy. Broach starts at 1:31. MOB call is at 1:50, good reason to hold on to a line
Yup, the value of a well trained and competent crew is important, as is a chain of command. Captain goes over, the crew need to know who is in charge. I'd like to believe we'd do as well if our captain was MOB.
Best real MOB video I've ever seen. Can I ask why they approached the MOB on the windward side? I suppose it makes it easier to see the target and round up quickly on passing without running over the victim, and easier to pass a line to him without sending somebody off the rail. The books all talk about placing the boat above, so it's easier to climb aboard, and of course there would be less chop to the leeward. But I suppose in practice with a sailboat, other factors come to play. Is that the method you practice?
+spelunkerd Thanks for the compliment on the video. I did an upgraded version with narration which better explains our methodology and other issues on that day. the link is under the video. In this particular boat with low freeboard, we always found it easier to get a MOB nack on the windward side and in the extreme winds we sail in, there is always the danger of the boat going over the MOB if he is on the leeward side.
The boom can take out the MOB and the stern of the boat can roll over them and push them underwater as you turn up wind to slow down.
I'm a crap sailor and I know it so I'm not going to give you any advice except maybe it is better to keep the boat the right way up, but I suspect you know that. Was very impressed with the mob recovery, you seemed to approach him quite fast but then stopped at just the right place. Hat of to you all.
@NutritionJoe Wind speed started at 28 knots, built very quickly to upper 30's and peaked at 48 knots max gust. If you read the article on SA there is a graph of the wind speed that day and hour. Click on it and view full size.
Great crew work, all safe and having fun.
Fantastic recovery! Thank you thank you thank for wearing your life jackets!!
Great sailing and recovery Trygve. Had my first experience on board Sean's Pacer 27 on the Vaal today (good fun but wind disappeared...as always). Farid
Incredible! great recovery guys! that was insane!
An MOB is very serious and where I sail (solent, UK) i'd defiantly put a mayday call out so that the lifeboats are ready to go if there are problems in retrieving the guy.
Under those conditions they should have had that opening to the cabin fully sealed! Apart from that they did very well . Congratulations all. Under those conditions , do not let the boat heal too much and that takes a sensitive skipper on the rudder and quick acting crew on the lines.
Carmel Pule' easy to comment. Very different to do that on board.
Yeah that opening to the cabin was almost a disaster. Other than that, they were ass kicking that boat.
That's one fast 27 footer.You guys are bananas!
That was one scary event. 10 minutes in 11c water is a long time. Hopefully more of your crew is now trained in proper technique for MOB (always want to approach upwind, preferably to leeward). While I've never had an MOB situation, once on the North Atlantic in about 25 knots lost a dinghy which was improperly lashed. I was not on watch, and my crew woke me, telling me the dinghy had gone over. I don't like to spend an extra couple thousand if I don't have to, I retook the helm, put my crew on watch, and we spotted it. Went upwind, and brought her back onboard (my bad in poor lashing).
Guys exelent work. Thanks for sharing with us.
We are already stacked up like sardines with the skipper's back flush against the stern pushpit arm. Not possible to get further aft than what we already are. The theory is good no doubt.
Agreed. It would have been better to just go with the main. Remember the boat was without it's skipper, so not all the decisions were correct, but there were enough good ones to ensure a successful result. Also note we regularly sail in those conditions, so it's not that intimidating for us.
@NutritionJoe This boat is built in Cape Town, South Africa. It is a registered one design class. The manufacturers are Pacer Yachts (just Google them). Just a rough guide I would say about US$ 45,000 incl racing sails and road trailer. Lifting keel/removable rudder. Tows nicely. Contact the builders and import one in a 40 ft container. Should fit, no problem. PHRF rates 1.080 and IRC 1.054 (which sucks)
I bet they did not think this was going to happen ! hope everyone was ok
Well Done! I am really amazed if you didn't loose sight of him in all the confusion. It appears the helmsman kept checking his position throughout, even so, a man alone among the waves is hard to spot. So any day everyone get home safe is a good day right!
Trygve, fantastiese video en 'n groot les om te leer, soveel dinge kon skeef geloop het, bly jy het dit oorleef ou maat!
All crew followed correct procedure, however, perhaps approaching the MOB from a position more downwind so that the boat can come up into the breeze and slow right down next to the MOB. Reason for this is that the MOB may be injured and may require more time to get back on board which is difficult to do if the boat is still moving. All in all though, great procedure in the hailing, locating and pointing out of the MOB
Aah, Table Mountain. I had quite a view of it from the apartment we rented in Blouberg. The last time I was in SA was in 2008.
Nice job following the broach. The Pacer's hull shape with it's retractable keel reminds me of a Melges.
Fish and chips at Ons Huisie?
well done guys splendid in fact.
I think it was a decent job; stopped right beside the MOB. They would have had to bring in the spinnaker to continue safely and in control, and by that time they would have blown a long way downwind, so they had a long way upwind to get back to the MOB. If you never broach a racing boat, you're not trying hard enough.
Well done guys. Would be great to see that ten minutes of recovering chute and squaring away for rescue. Did you have to cut anything? Nice work in all that chaos.
However, if they had to beat back upwind for a way, and it seems like there was some time required the jib would certainly help you get back to the MOB faster, and it's easy to douse the jib when you are on station, no?
You and your crew are obviously decent sailors. Maybe add a dry suit or a wet suit to your sailing gear when you go out in that stuff. Nice write up on SA. I think anyone that pushes it has stories that scare the hell out of them. Keep it up.
Good job guys and awesome video!
Very very lucky man .... and a very able crew.
But we missed the part with the inevitable mayhem onboard and how they succeeded to spot the man.
Dang! Accidents happen, but more people looking upwind will help anticipate and prevent this from happening!
Good job, guys!
I lost my crew overboard from a 15ft jib/main dinghy in rough weather and cold water. We were wearing drysuits. I was a bit new and uncomfortable how I would manage to get back to her but somehow pulled it off and pulled her back in. It occurred to me she would never be able to do it if the roles were reversed.
Art Smith Sailors don’t become good by staying onshore. There are risks in life. Most of us survive. It’s those terrifying moments that stay with you forever and make you a wiser sailor.
Trust you have trained her up
Does “blow the kite” mean douse the spinnaker?
Socratic469 Correct
In the wink of an eye... good recovery.
Sailing on the edge of disaster is often exhilarating!
Love the video ,thumbs up to the crew !! Just a question .... Why weren't you clipped on ?! But boat was going amazingly before hand !
Much ado about sharks. Last thing I would care about. If you're not part of a food chain and just dangling in the water for ten minutes, there's almost zero chance of a shark attack...people watch too many movies. Daytime too, no worries. Great job with dealing with a tough situation.
Tell that to the people who were dangling in the water for 10 minutes and were eaten. 🦈
very heave and dangerous. Great team, good sailors
Great video. Amazing what youtube can show me of what can happen with sailing a boat. I guess the odds of this is happening if i just want to cruise would be low right? I do not want to get to these speeds id reef the main and maybe even lower the front sail? How does one prevent broaching even if not racing?
This will unlikely happen when in cruising mode.
Hi, while cruising downwind in heavy air, drop the main and keep the head sail. Reduce the headsail as needed until you get the stormjib out.
Make sure you don't head to ground. If so, you'll have to get the mainsail back, heavily reefed (or a storm main sail) to get on the correct course.
Awesome video.
Skipper? - guess the crew truly loved the man ;-)
Great job guys i can tell lots of training
Pretty cool little boat....so the next obvious question is 'ow much are they and who sells them in the USA....
Thanks for the great vid.
What happened? What is a broach. It happened so fast i did not see what caused it.
OK. So you're not a sailor. Definition from Wikipedia - A sailboat broaches when its heading suddenly changes towards the wind due to wind/sail interactions for which the rudder cannot compensate. This happens when the aerodynamic force on the rig greatly exceeds the hydrodynamic force on the hull, due to a sudden increase in wind strength or turbulent sea conditions. In small boats and dinghies, broaching can lead to a death roll. In larger boats broaching can lay the mast horizontal, putting both rig and crew at risk. It can be particularly dangerous when racing other boats at close quarters. More succinctly, a broach is "to slew around on a wave front."[1] Another source says it is "extremely dangerous" and likens it to turning broadside and losing control in following seas, so as to present the ship's side to oncoming large waves. In that event, the ship may "trip" on its keel, roll, capsize and turn turtle.
Trygve Roberts Thank you for the explination. I can sure tell it is violent.
Great video! I know it's a balancing act with that much wind, but I was wondering if the broach or round-up was caused by a wind gust, rudder venting, larger wave or a temporary imbalance and excessive heeling (or all of the above)?
+Maxi Marine Yeah! probably all of the above. This boat has a very slim, narrow rudder blade and there is hardly any warning before it stalls out. It requires extremely sensitive helming with a strong sense of anticipation and knowledge of the boat's limits, which we were clearly still exploring!
Did you throw a life ring??Isnt this a vital piece of equipment to use when boating?Was this during a race?Hectic to fly a spinnaker in those conditions..
In conditions like this I wouldn't have been surprised to see rescue services called for losing that crew member and ten minutes seems like a long time. Were they contacted? If not, at what point or what changes in circumstances would have made you call?
It would be normal to have put out a MayDay call as soon as possible after the broach; once the acting skipper could ascertain the extent of the danger to the MOB. With hindsight, the call should have been made within the first 2 minutes once the boat and crew were separated by more than 100m. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but seldom works when there is an emergency underway. All the important critical decision functions would normally be made by me (the skipper) and I was the only person with a VHF radio licence (not that anyone would have objected to an unlicenced crewmember putting out a MayDay. The MayDay protocol was affixed to the bulkhead above the VHF for all crewmembers to be able to easily follow the procedure. It was one of the many thoughts going through my mind as I waited for the crew to return to fetch me.
Tryg, Giday mate-displaced Aussie living in Newport, RI. Thanks for the comments. What was true wind speed that day, I can recall no reference to same? Life lines issues based on my reading of ORC for offshore boats. Do you have different regs locally for sport boats? Also, having been washed of a 12 years ago and caught up in the sheets, my first response is can I hang onto a line---BUT in the 12 we were going , gee 9 knots, just rounded a mark and the "sheets" were 8 mm gal wire then cheers.
I don't know if this helps or is even correct for all boats. But ive had and still have some boats from 12' to 27' that dont follow convention. Either that or we are all getting it wrong.
Up wind if we are overpowered, we ease the main right?
Here is the problem, off wind we do the same.
Ive learned the hard way, on most cats and some narrow beam monohulls, you stuff them.
I think i know why. But please dont hold me to this...lol.
The main sail like all sails jas a point of pressure. That effects the tiller ( hence how you can steer without a rudder by playing with the main and gib (genoa etc).
Now bear with. When you ease the main upwind, it luffs. When you ease it off wind it doesn't, it just moves the pressure point forward....stuffing the bow down and stopping any chance of getting over its displacement hull length speed.
What works for me on my international Fireball, newcat F1 and a Gibsea picoplus i sail sometimes is counter intuitive i know. But i sheet in the main and bear away a bit. This forces the pressure point back and reduces power and has little rolling effect that far off the wind.
Dunno guys, but it works for me.
Fair winds and calm seas to you all.
Good teamwork
Great footage & excellent recovery! ;)
10 minutes plus in 11 deg C water, brrr. Great video and recovery.
Good job.
after the broach what made you put up the jib in those kind of conditions? wouldn't it have been much easier to go with just the main? as you plucked him out of the water i would have been pissed if my crew let both my sails shake the rig and almost disintegrate themselves. very good crew work and very nice vid. wow you guys were hauling ass!!!
Best comment of the entire string!
Quite dangerous situation !
Good MOB recovery !
AHH. You brought me boat back. Just as fukin well.✊ 👊.
Don't you think tighter kicker might have prevented it... Noticeable that roach of sail is very loose and flapping when you bear away.
11 degree water is very dangerous. Glad it worked out.
fantastic footage. best .. guido
Great skills to recover from the broach, locate MOB and fish him out without sailing over him in high winds and heavy seas.
I've only ever sailed high performance skiffs with an asymmetric, so maybe it's different on larger boats, but we always keep the boat flat going down wind, sailing down if it leans away and up if it leans towards you. But in this video I notice you spend large amounts of time with a large lean away. Which means you are always close to broaching. Is there a reason for this in a larger boat?
Personally, I think having a spinnaker up when you have a main already reefed seems silly to me . And whoever was on the spinnaker sheet shoulda blown that sucker right away. Good lesson learned here tho and it’s a good reminder to inform your crew as to what they should do if shit hits the fan. Thanks for posting
Day sailing at 5 knots is enjoyable but when your pushing your boat in high winds with full sail why wouldn’t you make sure everyone is tethered to the boat? Priceless
Best advice is to not have any mob to begin with or at least with a few short tugs will get back on board by themselves.
Just a thought
I know sailors on fastnet races even with years experience still are tethered to their boat respectively.
I think you should come for a sail with us. Then you can edit your comment with some real experience. :-)
Don't watch Vendee Globe
okay. understood. nice sailing and remember safety first. im a level two sailing instructor at my home club so im always thinking worst case.
Had almost exactly the same experience on my Antrim 27
Good job Guys.
a 10 min MOB, is (IMO) shocking... now this could be cause im doing my instructor cert and were scare mongered into thinking if you dont get them very quickly your f****d :L
but nice vid, looks like some epic sailing!
Looks like fun!!! Wish I was there.. :-)