MOB Doublehanded

[todd22123]

I was sailing back from HMB Race in the Bay with the spinnaker up, and the person I was sailing with asked me what we would do if one of us fell in the water. We have not practiced for this. Beside not falling in, what is the best plan?

Since then, I decided that absent a better plan, I would deploy the MOB
pole/flag, push the MOB button on the GPS, take down the spinnaker, and sail back to look for the MOB at the MOB waypoint. I have a lifesling to help him get back aboard.

Any ideas?

Thank you,
Todd
Thumper- Express 27

[BobJ]

Inside the Bay in good visibility that's sounds like a decent plan. In ocean conditions or poor visibility, and you saw or heard him him go over, I would immediately broach the boat to stay as close as possible - just turn upwind and lay the boat over. Get him aboard and then sort out the mess. Once you lose sight of him (and there's no one else to be a spotter) it is very, very difficult.


(I always say "him" when referring to a MOB because women have the good sense to stay on the boat.)

[cafemontaigne]

I agree that my first response would probably be to broach the boat, but I think it's a big step from there to getting the MOB back on the boat, at least on a light boat, the reason being you will still be drifting away really fast. I've tried swimming after my boat in about 10 kts of wind and 1 ft chop, with the boat hove to, and I couldn't keep up. If the boat were broached it would in all likelihood be drifting downwind even faster. So I think it's good to have a plan for after the broach.

I've tried picking up a simulated MOB by streaming the kite behind the boat and heading close hauled, and the boat could barely gain steerage way, although it did make some progress upwind.

I see my response as:
-broach the boat
-release the guy and head close-hauled
-deploy the MOB contraption
-douse the chute if necessary
-tack back towards the MOB and pick him/her/it up.

Experimenting with this can be very valuable.

[Culebra]

Right, stopping the boat immediately is essential. Keeping your eye on the swimmer is essential, too. Broaching might do it if conditions are relatively light, and if they are, I think that's exactly what I'd do. But afterward the boat and helmsman (now solo) has to be in a position to assist, and probably, sail back to the MOB. So that means being under control. If conditions are boisterous, I think broaching with the kite up would have some ugly consequences. I'm thinking instead, first let the spin halyard run free. Leave the guy and sheet as they are (no time to mess with them), immediately let the halyard run free (out of the mast, no stopper knots in spin halyards, halyard flaked perfectly), and then turn upwind hard, stopping the boat and spotting the swimmer. You could do this in less than 20 sec even if you had to engage the autopilot first to free the halyard. Now you can reasonably get back into control, free the guy and sheet if necessary, leave the kite in the water, and sail back to the MOB.

Actually, some years ago while returning into the bay DH, under spinnaker in a big breeze, surfing wildly, with my crew at the helm unfortunately, we hit a wave from one of those Red and White Fleet tourist boats and rounded the boat down, hard. The mast hit the water and we were both thrown out of the boat. The interesting thing is that the boat stopped instantaneously, totally dead in the water and pinned down. Of course water was up over the coamings, so I was able to scramble back into (almost swim back into) the cockpit with relative ease, and then drag my crew back into the cockpit as well. Because the boat stayed pinned right down and water was dangerously close to entering the cabin, the 2 of us frantically tried to free the halyard, sheet and guy all at the same time... anything to get the kite free of the wind. The halyard somehow had wrapped around the masthead so it wouldn't budge. The sheets thankfully did run free. The boat righted, and the spinnaker, complete with sheets still attached, then flew horizonally from the masthead in the big breeze... in a singularly narrow, very long stream. It has to be the most exciting, and embarrassing, bay entrance I've ever endured.

Paul/Culebra