Opposite: losing someone overboard never leaves you. A sombre Jean-Pierre Millet has just finished the first Whitbread Race in 1974. Millet was co-skipper of 33 Export which was rolled in a severe storm off the Kerguelen Islands – his co-skipper Dominique Guillet thrown overboard and never recovered. A demonstration of the mid-line recovery technique (left); detail of the sliding loop used (below); and using a rescue crew. Next up is to go out and do it at night, in some modest waves… or both
knot at the stern end of the line to be easily available when needed. With a loop or snatch block, ignore the shackle and bow- line the halyard for added security. Also, ensure your spinnaker halyards are long enough to reach the stern.
Incapacitated MOB – alongside with a rescue crew When the MOB is unconscious, injured, hypothermic or weak – and unable to grab the lifesling or remain in it – the amateur crew is at a disadvantage. Large profes- sional yachts today often have a trained rescue swimmer – connected to the boat with a safety line. Without a professionally trained swimmer the amateur yacht must manoeuvre much closer, adding risk, and lower a rescue crew on a halyard into the water to secure the MOB. This is standard training for Sir Robin
one pointing up and the other down since the lifesling can float either side up. Have a crew with a searchlight light up the rope and lifesling as his only duty.
Recovering the MOB: standard lift Whether the yacht is conventional or high octane, lifting the MOB safely on deck is difficult. It is most dangerous on yachts with chines or hull flare where the MOB can easily slide beneath the hull. Using a lifesling eliminates the need to make direct contact with the MOB. With the MOB abeam in the sling, walk
the lifesling rope to midships, then steadily pull it in (don’t yank the lifesling away from the MOB) until you reach the pre-set loop to which the spinnaker halyard is attached. At this point the MOB is still a safe 25ft or more from the hull. Smoothly hoist the halyard and don’t stop until the MOB is lifeline height and pulled aboard – time spent alongside the hull creates risk.
A new idea – the midline lift Walk the spinnaker halyard aft and life - sling rope forward, and clip the halyard directly to the rope. Instead of manually pulling in the rope use the halyard. As the halyard is taken up the halyard shackle slides out on the lifesling rope and the MOB is pulled upwards (about half out of the water) and towards the yacht. As the MOB reaches the yacht the MOB is lifted into the air to be grabbed by the crew. At no time is the MOB free-floating and
vulnerable alongside the yacht. One crew hauling smoothly at the mast, with a tailer
pulling in the slack on a winch, is usually adequate until the full weight of the MOB is felt and winching may be needed, or a second hauler. Don’t yank the MOB out of the lifesling… smooth! This configuration has a mechanical disadvantage of 1:2, which is no problem unless there is inade- quate winch or crew power.
Fitting out for the midline lift This 1:2 mechanical disadvantage means doublehanded sailors especially might be challenged. If practice confirms this a stan- dard lifesling lift may be preferred. Or con- sider an electric winch or electric handle. The lifesling rope for a midline lift must
be a few feet shorter than twice the height of the spinnaker halyard sheave off the water. Otherwise the halyard two-blocks before the MOB is on deck. With the J-turn a shortened rope still works well. For the midline lift with its 1:2 and
sliding halyard we strongly recommend switching the standard yellow lifesling polypropylene rope to 6-8mm floating yellow Spectra. There are excellent white-water rescue
sources of yellow Spectra/polypropylene blends with very high strength. For serious offshore sailing, regardless of standard or midline lift, Spectra must be your choice. In our trials one polypropylene rope parted and many looked about to do so. Halyard shackles slide easily along
Spectra, but with the 1:2 a sliding low- friction loop or snatch block reduces friction. A loop fitted with a short strop can be secured with wool or quick-release
K-J’s Clipper Race. This rescue crew is equipped with a climbing harness, helmet and tether to connect to the MOB, and wears a rescue PFD (less cumbersome than an inflatable). Any reasonably fit male or female, comfortable in a harness and in the water, is able to perform quite well. Techniques to secure the MOB include
using a tether, adjustable mountaineering lanyard or a second halyard. The rescue crew must be lowered into the water as the MOB passes the bow, and the halyard eased 10ft or more so the rescue crew can take a few strokes out to the MOB. We recommend assigning a rescue crew to each watch; in a MOB the off-watch rescue crew kits up and proceeds on deck. In practices and real MOB situations it
can be difficult to attach a halyard or tether to the D-rings of the PFD because the inflated chambers block the D-rings. New offshore PFDs have a dedicated lift- ing strap built in. The first of these straps were retro-fitted for the Clipper Race years ago by Sir Robin K-J. Make sure your PFDs have easily accessed lifting points. If the MOB is not wearing a PFD and
too weak to stay in a lifesling so they require a rescue crew… good luck. If your rescue crew is incredibly strong and the MOB not too heavy, maybe a bear-hug would work. But without a Coastguard rescue harness (like a lifesling with a crotch strap) it is almost impossible to secure the MOB. Without a PFD a weak- ened MOB is at high risk of being lost. In Part III we will discuss MOB recovery when sailing doublehanded with the unique situation of having to leave the helm to perform the recovery
SEAHORSE 59
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