by Maureen Keller

Created on: October 24, 2007

When yachting, it is important to have trained individuals on board to handle a man overboard situation. It is also very important to not sail in rough waters, at night, or alone. If you are caught in rough weather, everyone should be wearing a life jacket and crew members should be wearing an attached life line. There are procedures to follow if you are on a yacht and a you are in a man overboard situation. These are very important and if not followed correctly the outcome could be catastrophic.

1. Whoever sees or hears the MOB (man overboard) should yell "Man Overboard". He should proceed to hit the MOB button on the GPS, and point to the MOB.

2. The lifebelt and dan-buoy should then be thrown to the MOB.

3. The yacht then needs to be slowed down. The easiest way to accomplish this is to turn it head to wind. This can be accomplished by either a Williamson Turn or an Elliptical Turn.

4. The yacht should be kept in neutral.

5. Center the mainsail and lower the headsail.

6. You will need to sail downwind until MOB is aft of the beam.

7. Approach the MOB at 45 off the wind.

8. Throw a heaving line to the MOB and carry out the recovery on the windward side of the yacht.

9. If this works and the MOB is able to retrieve the line and is able to be pulled in, first aid may be required. Hypothermia is a major concern in MOB circumstances. If this does not work, repeat steps until it does.

10.If the MOB can not be located a MAYDAY call will need to be placed. This almost always happens at night.

If you are the one overboard it is VERY important to:

1. NOT PANIC

2. Check your life jacket for inflation. Pull the firing cord if necessary.

3. Maintain a visual on the yacht.

4. If you have a light, a whistle or any other attention getter, use it.

5. Hold your arms tight against your chest. Press your thighs together and raise them toward your groin area. This will keep body heat from escaping.
Hypothermia will kick in after 40 minutes in the summer and reduces to about 20 minutes in winter. This will lead to death in approximately 2-4 hours.

In rough weather, this difficult task is made even harder. There will be low light and poor visibility. Someone on the yacht will need to keep the victim in sight at all times and stay pointing at them. When the boat is turned, make a wide enough turn to not injure the MOB with the rudder. If any light is available use it. You will need to work quickly, but steadily in the case of a rough water MOB.

I heard a story from a friend of mine last week.

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