Man overboard!!

Man overboard

In terms of sailing safety, recovering a man overboard is always delicate given what is at stake. There is no miracle solution, but many possible manoeuvres depending on the situation and the type of vessel.

Today in recreational boating, this accident represents, according to CROSS statistics, a significant risk, especially in coastal waters.

It is therefore up to the skipper to choose the procedure that will best meet the human, material and environmental constraints of each situation.

When a person falls into the water, every second counts. The greater the stress, the more difficult it is to act effectively.

The only way to acquire the right reflexes is therefore to train systematically to recover a man overboard in the widest possible range of sea and wind conditions.

Emergency measures common to all situations

- alert the other crew members by loudly and clearly announcing “MAN OVERBOARD!”
- immediately throw the horseshoe buoy and the self-igniting light to the man overboard
- assign a crew member to maintain constant visual contact with the man overboard, often the one who saw him fall
- assign a crew member to press the MOB button on the GPS to record the geographical position of the fall
- assign a crew member to alert the emergency services by holding down the Distress button on the VHF and by making a voice distress call on channel 16

The skipper must then decide on the recovery manoeuvre best suited to the constraints of the situation, such as:

- condition of the man overboard (conscious, injured, unconscious...)
- sea state and wind conditions
- condition of the boat
- crew’s ability to manoeuvre

The skipper then chooses the best possible option given these constraints to initiate the manoeuvre, with the aim of avoiding any risk of secondary accident and ensuring the safe recovery of the man overboard.

Presentation of different man overboard recovery manoeuvres under sail

Warning

None of the manoeuvres described in the following paragraphs guarantees 100% recovery of the man overboard.

The success of the operation depends on a fluctuating range of environmental, human and material constraints, the assessment of which lies entirely with the skipper. It is obvious that extreme weather conditions can greatly complicate the recovery of a man overboard in coastal or offshore waters.

“Quick stop” stop

After the man overboard falls:
- head up into the wind using the engine
- once the boat is at a distance of three boat lengths to windward of the man overboard, tack without passing the headsail (as for heaving-to).
- bear away to a beam reach and continue on this course for a distance of 3 boat lengths
- bear away to a run and continue on this course for a distance of 2.5 boat lengths. Roll or drop the headsail during this downwind phase.
- when the man overboard is at a distance of 2.5 lengths abeam of the boat, gybe (the mainsail already sheeted in line with the boat) in order to head back upwind towards him
- regulate speed using the mainsheet and the engine
- stop to leeward of the man overboard to throw him a recovery line
- put the engine in neutral to avoid any risk of propeller rotation
- hoist the man overboard back onto the boat

Advantages
Invented in the United States in 1987, the Quick stop method works in the widest range of weather conditions (some have successfully tested it in winds up to 30 knots). It is therefore very useful for all recreational sailors to know.

Disadvantages
Difficult to implement if the engine is not operational
In strong winds, throwing the line upwind to the man overboard can be uncertain.

This manoeuvre requires good mastery of sailing and boat handling.

Variant of this manoeuvre

Make a second circle around the man overboard while paying out the recovery line to make it easier for him to grab it.

The boat will then be stopped by heaving-to so that the crew can bring the casualty back on board. The recovery line should be a harness-type line with buoyancy attached to a minimum 40-metre floating line of bright colour.

Heaving-to

After the man overboard falls:
- head slightly upwind on a close reach/broad reach
- tack to heave-to while heading towards him.
- regulate the boat’s course at the helm (from beam reach to broad reach) and by adjusting the mainsheet tension.
Note: each boat drifts differently when hove-to depending on its anti-drift plan (keelboat or centerboarder), sail area, sheet tension and centre of effort. This manoeuvre must therefore be repeated to become familiar with the boat’s drift.

Advantages
- quick stop, easy to implement
- makes it easier to communicate with the man overboard
- can serve as a preparatory manoeuvre to reassure the man overboard, assess the situation and organise the crew before choosing the final manoeuvre

Disadvantages
- requires a minimum of practice to master the boat’s trajectory, particularly the tacking point to anticipate drift when hove-to towards the man overboard.

Variant of this manoeuvre

There are 3 ways of heaving-to under sail: hard hove-to, running hove-to and linear hove-to. It is possible to alternate between these three and refine the manoeuvre to regain contact with the man overboard.
It should also be noted that it is possible to heave-to from all points of sail, including downwind points of sail. One particularity concerns the use of the spinnaker, which should be completely released at all three corners before initiating any man overboard recovery manoeuvre. Dousing a spinnaker could be a waste of time, with the risk of losing visual contact with the man overboard.

Luff stop

After the man overboard falls:
- bear away to a broad reach to descend to leeward of him for a distance of about 4 boat lengths
- head up close-hauled, quickly trimming the sails to maintain boat speed
- tack
- head towards the man overboard
- test the luffing of the mainsail: if it luffs, maintain the course; otherwise, bear away sharply for 1 to 2 lengths then point again towards the man overboard. Repeat until the mainsail luffs completely when the boat points towards the man overboard.
- regulate speed with the sheets to stop the boat to windward of the man overboard.

Advantages
Allows recovery of a man overboard when the propeller is engaged or the engine is out of order.
Avoids the risk of secondary accident due to uncontrolled gybing
Allows speed regulation and therefore easier control of the stopping point of the boat

Disadvantages
Requires good knowledge of the manoeuvre by the crew

Head-to-wind stop

After the man overboard falls:
- bear away to a broad reach to descend to leeward of the man overboard
- roll or drop the headsail
- after covering a distance of about 4 lengths, return to a beam reach aiming for an imaginary line located between 2 and 5 lengths to leeward of the man overboard, corresponding to the distance required for the boat to come to a complete stop.
- when the wind vane points towards the man overboard, head up into the wind.
- stop alongside the man overboard, taking care to put the engine in neutral.

Advantage
Fairly easy to perform with a bit of practice, accuracy due to the use of the engine.

Disadvantage
Requires quickly rolling or dropping the headsail to head back into the wind towards the man overboard
Requires knowledge of the boat’s stopping distance depending on its weight and the sea and wind conditions.

Conclusion

While none of these methods is ideal, they must be tested and practised to enable skippers and their crews to develop the automatisms essential to mastering these manoeuvres.

All these methods have been designed and tested, the aim being to obtain reflex actions in their execution.

Finally, knowing how your boat reacts in different sea and wind conditions is an essential key to the success of any man overboard recovery manoeuvre.

Tips and tricks

- As a preventive measure against the risk of falling overboard, your vessel’s deck gear should include as many safety devices as possible

- On a sailing yacht, using the boom and its tackle can help recover a man overboard in a coma and position him in the recovery position in the cockpit

- It is also possible to use a halyard from the rigging secured to a winch to assist in recovering a casualty located at the waterline of the boat

- A swimming crew member can carry out a rescue of an unconscious casualty not wearing a lifejacket; this crew member must be secured to a cleat on the boat with a rope, a mooring line or a line of sufficient length

- Some yachts are equipped with a swivelling crane arm that can be extended over the waterline. Generally used for the inflatable or RIB tender, it can also be used to recover a man overboard

- Fitting a harness to an unconscious man overboard is easier than fitting a foam lifejacket

- Wearing a buoyancy aid or lifejacket is strongly recommended for any nautical outing, as buoyancy in the event of a fall is increased

- When wearing a lifejacket, it is strongly recommended to fasten the crotch strap to avoid ending up in a very uncomfortable position

- At anchor, do not leave your children unattended outside. Ideally, have them wear an appropriate lifejacket according to their age and ability to keep their head above water

- When moving around on a vessel, it is advisable to be clipped onto the lifeline with a tether fitted with carabiners

- Regularly carry out man overboard recovery drills, for example using one of your fenders as a dummy swimmer

- Circle around the man overboard with a floating line fitted at its end with a foam lifejacket, in the same way as when recovering a water skier

- Craft used to assist in recovering a man overboard may include a tender fitted with an outboard motor, or even a kayak equipped with paddles

- In the final recovery manoeuvre, the bow thruster can be a valuable aid in correctly orienting the vessel’s bow

- When using a catamaran, if your helm position is to starboard, it is preferable to recover the man overboard alongside the starboard hull

- To better locate a man overboard, it is preferable to throw an IOR pole rather than a ring or horseshoe buoy fitted with a self-igniting light

- For solo sailors, there are block-and-tackle tethers with pulleys to help climb back on board alone

- In the event of loss of visual contact, when the “MOB” button on your GPS has been activated, follow the given course to return to the man overboard

- Once on site, use the course compass to grid the search area at constant speed and time

- In racing, the risk of falling is higher due to the sporting use of the boat; wearing a lifejacket is mandatory