An excellent resource for cruising couples published by the Cruising Club of America. The book can be bought using this link: https://sas.cruisingclub.org/scc

Attached is the spreadsheet of responses to the the poll tonight's 'Suddenly alone' survey.

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Simon Currin - 17 Dec 2023

An excellent resource for cruising couples published by the Cruising Club of America
Click here for a link to the PDF

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Simon Currin - 17 Dec 2023

An excellent resource for cruising couples published by the Cruising Club of America
Click here for a link to the PDF

It is an excellent book, despite being based on the author's decision to base it on the assumption that the sailor is in US coastal waters.
I see one serious error, and one omission
1)  The section on recovering the overboard victim suggests using a block and tackle if he is too heavy to lift.   I fear this will lead to people having the wrong gear, and using it when they should not.
Many sailboats, probably 95% of those sailed by OCC members, have a halyard winch powerful enough to lift a person to the masthead, and therefore out of the water. 
A practical block and tackle will give about 3:1 mechanical advantage.  The halyard winch on our typical 47 foot boat has a mechanical ratio of 52:1, and realizes about 40:1 mechanical advantage in practice due to friction.  My 75 year old wife can raise me to the masthead with it.  Only a muscleman could lift a heavy person with a typical block and tackle. 
Ideally, a halyard can reach the water, but if too short, adding a few feet of rope is simple during the emergency.

2)  The CCA recommends a boarding ladder that can be activated from the water.  Good idea.  We have one.
          BUT the book should warn that boarding at the stern (where most ladders are installed) in water that is at all rough can be dangerous, particularly in vessels with overhanging sterns.  It is usually safer to board from amidships

The link to tonight’s OCC Webinar recording ‘Suddenly Alone’’ is https://www.oceancruisingclub.org/webinars?ID=2560






ID

Simon

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neilm - 21 Dec 2023

+x

 

Simon Currin - 17 Dec 2023

An excellent resource for cruising couples published by the Cruising Club of America
Click here for a link to the PDF

It is an excellent book, despite being based on the author's decision to base it on the assumption that the sailor is in US coastal waters.
I see one serious error, and one omission
1)  The section on recovering the overboard victim suggests using a block and tackle if he is too heavy to lift.   I fear this will lead to people having the wrong gear, and using it when they should not.
Many sailboats, probably 95% of those sailed by OCC members, have a halyard winch powerful enough to lift a person to the masthead, and therefore out of the water. 
A practical block and tackle will give about 3:1 mechanical advantage.  The halyard winch on our typical 47 foot boat has a mechanical ratio of 52:1, and realizes about 40:1 mechanical advantage in practice due to friction.  My 75 year old wife can raise me to the masthead with it.  Only a muscleman could lift a heavy person with a typical block and tackle. 
Ideally, a halyard can reach the water, but if too short, adding a few feet of rope is simple during the emergency.

2)  The CCA recommends a boarding ladder that can be activated from the water.  Good idea.  We have one.
          BUT the book should warn that boarding at the stern (where most ladders are installed) in water that is at all rough can be dangerous, particularly in vessels with overhanging sterns.  It is usually safer to board from amidships

Re the discussion on the webinar about M.O.B.s; One method often taught at sailing schools with several crew is whoever sees the victim fall in is to shout 'Man Overboard', a crew member is assigned just to keep the victim in sight, the boat is hove to which usually bring the vessel upwind of the victim so that the lifebuoy can be released and drift downwind to them, the mainsail is pinned in, the engine started, the boat motored to be down wind of the victim and the headsail rolled away, an upwind approach is made so the boat comes alongside the victim  and is stopped and the person is somehow hauled aboard. (Sorry, I am sure you all know the above without me repeating it!)
On a boat sailed by a couple there is a danger of the one person left aboard losing sight of the victim.
A few years ago I met a man who had given a lot of thought to M.O.B. on boats sailed by couples and he showed me the following drill. The one person left on board turns the wheel right over and clamps it and as the boat comes up into the wind quickly moves forward to sheet in and pin in the main. The boat will now go round in circles (how many depends on the strength of the wind) looking after itself as it were. The one person left on board then can consider the best way to retrieve the victim.
The main advantage of this method is that it keep the boat close to the person in the water.
I would be interested to know what people think of this system and who else has tried it.
It does of course it depends a bit on the layout of your wheel and mainsheet as to whether you could do it on your boat.
As mentioned last night actually getting the person out of the water and back on board is most probably going to be the hardest part of the operation. What I have done on 'Chardonnay' is to lengthen the topping lift (which is led back to a cockpit winch and easily removed from the end of the boom)  so it is plenty long enough to reach the water and thus could be used to winch someone out of the water.
Merry Christmas to all OCC members
Martin       Yacht 'Chardonnay of Solent'
 

Thanks Martin and Neil,

We have a longerthan usual spinnaker halliard for mob recovery. It is long enough to lead back to our big sheet winches in the cockpit should the need arise. Definitely preferable to a block and tackle attached to the boom.

We also have our aft boarding ladder secured in a way so that it can be deployed from the water. A lesson we learned a long time ago when we both jumped overboard for a swim without deploying the swim ladder first!

Simon

+x

 

martintsmith@aol.com - 22 Dec 2023

Re the discussion on the webinar about M.O.B.s; One method often taught at sailing schools with several crew is whoever sees the victim fall in is to shout 'Man Overboard', a crew member is assigned just to keep the victim in sight, the boat is hove to which usually bring the vessel upwind of the victim so that the lifebuoy can be released and drift downwind to them, the mainsail is pinned in, the engine started, the boat motored to be down wind of the victim and the headsail rolled away, an upwind approach is made so the boat comes alongside the victim  and is stopped and the person is somehow hauled aboard. (Sorry, I am sure you all know the above without me repeating it!)
On a boat sailed by a couple there is a danger of the one person left aboard losing sight of the victim.
A few years ago I met a man who had given a lot of thought to M.O.B. on boats sailed by couples and he showed me the following drill. The one person left on board turns the wheel right over and clamps it and as the boat comes up into the wind quickly moves forward to sheet in and pin in the main. The boat will now go round in circles (how many depends on the strength of the wind) looking after itself as it were. The one person left on board then can consider the best way to retrieve the victim.
The main advantage of this method is that it keep the boat close to the person in the water.
I would be interested to know what people think of this system and who else has tried it.
It does of course it depends a bit on the layout of your wheel and mainsheet as to whether you could do it on your boat.
As mentioned last night actually getting the person out of the water and back on board is most probably going to be the hardest part of the operation. What I have done on 'Chardonnay' is to lengthen the topping lift (which is led back to a cockpit winch and easily removed from the end of the boom)  so it is plenty long enough to reach the water and thus could be used to winch someone out of the water.
Merry Christmas to all OCC members
Martin       Yacht 'Chardonnay of Solent'
 

+x

 

Simon Currin - 22 Dec 2023

Thanks Martin and Neil,

We have a longerthan usual spinnaker halliard for mob recovery. It is long enough to lead back to our big sheet winches in the cockpit should the need arise. Definitely preferable to a block and tackle attached to the boom.

We also have our aft boarding ladder secured in a way so that it can be deployed from the water. A lesson we learned a long time ago when we both jumped overboard for a swim without deploying the swim ladder first!

Simon

+x

 

martintsmith@aol.com - 22 Dec 2023

Re the discussion on the webinar about M.O.B.s; One method often taught at sailing schools with several crew is whoever sees the victim fall in is to shout 'Man Overboard', a crew member is assigned just to keep the victim in sight, the boat is hove to which usually bring the vessel upwind of the victim so that the lifebuoy can be released and drift downwind to them, the mainsail is pinned in, the engine started, the boat motored to be down wind of the victim and the headsail rolled away, an upwind approach is made so the boat comes alongside the victim  and is stopped and the person is somehow hauled aboard. (Sorry, I am sure you all know the above without me repeating it!)
On a boat sailed by a couple there is a danger of the one person left aboard losing sight of the victim.
A few years ago I met a man who had given a lot of thought to M.O.B. on boats sailed by couples and he showed me the following drill. The one person left on board turns the wheel right over and clamps it and as the boat comes up into the wind quickly moves forward to sheet in and pin in the main. The boat will now go round in circles (how many depends on the strength of the wind) looking after itself as it were. The one person left on board then can consider the best way to retrieve the victim.
The main advantage of this method is that it keep the boat close to the person in the water.
I would be interested to know what people think of this system and who else has tried it.
It does of course it depends a bit on the layout of your wheel and mainsheet as to whether you could do it on your boat.
As mentioned last night actually getting the person out of the water and back on board is most probably going to be the hardest part of the operation. What I have done on 'Chardonnay' is to lengthen the topping lift (which is led back to a cockpit winch and easily removed from the end of the boom)  so it is plenty long enough to reach the water and thus could be used to winch someone out of the water.
Merry Christmas to all OCC members
Martin       Yacht 'Chardonnay of Solent'
 

Hi all,
On another venue, a COB situation came up and I wrote some thoughts on boat preparation beyond what is usual for a COB event which I thought I would share here.
I am a fan of the Lifesling, but not of their block & tackle to recover crew: too fussy and hard to set up and use, and to use, most would use a halyard (see below). It is also likely to be a lot of work, too much for many, to lift a dripping wet person in this way.
Since it likely to use a halyard, I purchased my main halyard and spare headsail halyard able to reach the water level plus a couple of feet where the COB can attach. Each halyard can reach a winch (and we have an EWincher to add to the ease of recovery). Further, our lifelines are attached with lashings rather than the usual turnbuckles and “D” shackles. This allows the lashings to be quickly cut with a knife always ready-to-hand and the lifelines dropped to the deck. In this way the COB only needs to be raised to deck level (and anything being dragged past and over lifelines gets hung up while coming up along the hull is smooth).
The article that kicked off these thoughts had crew fall overboard during the rescue. I suggest that in an emergency: any emergency, and counter-intuitively, the head-set for the swiftest response is to move slowly. Speed breeds anxiety, error, mis-steps and poor judgment. The other important prep is having practiced ahead of time so there is a bit of muscle and head memory.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy

+x

 

Dick - 27 Dec 2023

+x

 

Simon Currin - 22 Dec 2023

Thanks Martin and Neil,

We have a longerthan usual spinnaker halliard for mob recovery. It is long enough to lead back to our big sheet winches in the cockpit should the need arise. Definitely preferable to a block and tackle attached to the boom.

We also have our aft boarding ladder secured in a way so that it can be deployed from the water. A lesson we learned a long time ago when we both jumped overboard for a swim without deploying the swim ladder first!

Simon

+x

 

martintsmith@aol.com - 22 Dec 2023

Re the discussion on the webinar about M.O.B.s; One method often taught at sailing schools with several crew is whoever sees the victim fall in is to shout 'Man Overboard', a crew member is assigned just to keep the victim in sight, the boat is hove to which usually bring the vessel upwind of the victim so that the lifebuoy can be released and drift downwind to them, the mainsail is pinned in, the engine started, the boat motored to be down wind of the victim and the headsail rolled away, an upwind approach is made so the boat comes alongside the victim  and is stopped and the person is somehow hauled aboard. (Sorry, I am sure you all know the above without me repeating it!)
On a boat sailed by a couple there is a danger of the one person left aboard losing sight of the victim.
A few years ago I met a man who had given a lot of thought to M.O.B. on boats sailed by couples and he showed me the following drill. The one person left on board turns the wheel right over and clamps it and as the boat comes up into the wind quickly moves forward to sheet in and pin in the main. The boat will now go round in circles (how many depends on the strength of the wind) looking after itself as it were. The one person left on board then can consider the best way to retrieve the victim.
The main advantage of this method is that it keep the boat close to the person in the water.
I would be interested to know what people think of this system and who else has tried it.
It does of course it depends a bit on the layout of your wheel and mainsheet as to whether you could do it on your boat.
As mentioned last night actually getting the person out of the water and back on board is most probably going to be the hardest part of the operation. What I have done on 'Chardonnay' is to lengthen the topping lift (which is led back to a cockpit winch and easily removed from the end of the boom)  so it is plenty long enough to reach the water and thus could be used to winch someone out of the water.
Merry Christmas to all OCC members
Martin       Yacht 'Chardonnay of Solent'
 

Hi all,
On another venue, a COB situation came up and I wrote some thoughts on boat preparation beyond what is usual for a COB event which I thought I would share here.
I am a fan of the Lifesling, but not of their block & tackle to recover crew: too fussy and hard to set up and use, and to use, most would use a halyard (see below). It is also likely to be a lot of work, too much for many, to lift a dripping wet person in this way.
Since it likely to use a halyard, I purchased my main halyard and spare headsail halyard able to reach the water level plus a couple of feet where the COB can attach. Each halyard can reach a winch (and we have an EWincher to add to the ease of recovery). Further, our lifelines are attached with lashings rather than the usual turnbuckles and “D” shackles. This allows the lashings to be quickly cut with a knife always ready-to-hand and the lifelines dropped to the deck. In this way the COB only needs to be raised to deck level (and anything being dragged past and over lifelines gets hung up while coming up along the hull is smooth).
The article that kicked off these thoughts had crew fall overboard during the rescue. I suggest that in an emergency: any emergency, and counter-intuitively, the head-set for the swiftest response is to move slowly. Speed breeds anxiety, error, mis-steps and poor judgment. The other important prep is having practiced ahead of time so there is a bit of muscle and head memory.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy

Hi all,
As to keeping an eye on the COB, a long time trainer, on first outing, pulls out a cantaloupe (floats just like someone's head above the surface) and tosses it in the water and everyone quickly gains the experience of how short a time the cantaloupe is able to be seen: and that is when they have nothing else to do.
On Alchemy, we immediately launch a pylon with a light on top, a horseshoe and a drogue. The COB, if able, goes to it and uses the flotation and the boat has something to aim for. Without a pylon or somesort of homing device, my take is that the COB will never be found. This has been shown to be likely when we do a "drill" to receive a lost hat and when we have used a fender for a drill.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy

+x

 

martintsmith@aol.com - 22 Dec 2023

Re the discussion on the webinar about M.O.B.s; One method often taught at sailing schools with several crew is whoever sees the victim fall in is to shout 'Man Overboard', a crew member is assigned just to keep the victim in sight, the boat is hove to which usually bring the vessel upwind of the victim so that the lifebuoy can be released and drift downwind to them, the mainsail is pinned in, the engine started, the boat motored to be down wind of the victim and the headsail rolled away, an upwind approach is made so the boat comes alongside the victim  and is stopped and the person is somehow hauled aboard. (Sorry, I am sure you all know the above without me repeating it!)
On a boat sailed by a couple there is a danger of the one person left aboard losing sight of the victim.
A few years ago I met a man who had given a lot of thought to M.O.B. on boats sailed by couples and he showed me the following drill. The one person left on board turns the wheel right over and clamps it and as the boat comes up into the wind quickly moves forward to sheet in and pin in the main. The boat will now go round in circles (how many depends on the strength of the wind) looking after itself as it were. The one person left on board then can consider the best way to retrieve the victim.
The main advantage of this method is that it keep the boat close to the person in the water.
I would be interested to know what people think of this system and who else has tried it.
It does of course it depends a bit on the layout of your wheel and mainsheet as to whether you could do it on your boat.
As mentioned last night actually getting the person out of the water and back on board is most probably going to be the hardest part of the operation. What I have done on 'Chardonnay' is to lengthen the topping lift (which is led back to a cockpit winch and easily removed from the end of the boom)  so it is plenty long enough to reach the water and thus could be used to winch someone out of the water.
Merry Christmas to all OCC members
Martin       Yacht 'Chardonnay of Solent'
 

Hi Martin,
The hard over and locking the wheel works best if close hauled: the farther off the wind you are, the less effective it is and at a certain point is dangerous to both crew and boat.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy