This drill took place in the calm waters of a yacht club marina. But even in benign conditions getting an unconscious survivor back onboard or into a liferaft is extremely testing, something you only appreciate by trying it yourself under similar safe circumstances. Right: specific double-handed MOB Plan for Du Moulin’s own Express 37 racer, in large type and posted anywhere it might be useful
an experienced offshore sailor and gener- ous volunteer. Colin came on deck with- out his PFD against his own standing instructions. He was swept overboard and despite heroic crew efforts was recovered too late. We all have violated good prac- tices at some point, but think of the poten- tial tragic impact on our crew and family.
Root causes of MOB incidents The US Sailing Safety-at-Sea committee under Chuck Hawley, Sally Honey and Dick York’s leadership continues to study available reports of documented offshore MOB incidents. Key observations include: Falling overboard Always a result of not
clipping the tether to the boat, including going up/down the companionway. Also often related to poor helming, especially accidental gybes. Flotation People drown faster than we
think. Wearing a PFD buys time for rescue, especially in cold water or when injured. MOBs should be prepared to spend 20-30 minutes in the water. Per- sonal AIS beacons, strobes and whistles increase the chance of rescue. Injury from the hull If the MOB survives
until the point of recovery the greatest threat is being run down, slammed into or sucked under the hull. Modern high-perfor- mance boats are difficult to keep bow to the wind and waves even under power. Chines and flare present special dangers as the MOB gets sucked underneath more readily. Lack of practice Too many skipper/
owners fail in their responsibility to train their crew, practise MOB recoveries and develop their own protocol. Engine It is important to practise under
sail but the engine provides the best chance of a timely safe recovery, assuming you don’t wrap a line around the propeller. Recovery Getting the MOB quickly and
safely up on deck is challenging, and near impossible if not wearing a PFD; any time spent next to the hull is high risk.
72 SEAHORSE Fact: The average offshore racing yacht
does not adequately practise. The crew at best usually show up the day before the race, join in on the rush to load the boat and attend a crew dinner, and head to the start having never had a true full crew safety practice. Some boats on the way to the start do one quick MOB drill that never simulates the real deal. You practise sail changes, sets, gybes, douses, tacks… is there no time to schedule two half-days for MOB practice, one in medium breeze and the other in proper heavy air? While you’re at it, add a short practice after dark. Enhance practice routines with a full crew Zoom a week before, and a debrief after. Then share an amended MOB Plan.
Make your own MOB Plan To encourage practising on your own boat, in 2021 Storm Trysail instituted Do- It-Yourself SAS Training Day. Owners brought their own boats and crew for a coached practice, including MOB dummies, drone footage and Zoom debriefs. The concept is picking up momentum. In 2022 Storm Trysail shared its docu- mentation with the Cruising Club of America (CCA), organiser of the Newport- Bermuda Race. The CCA now recom- mends that its ‘stations’ schedule POYOB (Practice On Your Own Boat) sessions. Here is an idea: offshore race organisers
should require every entry to practise MOB for eight hours in a variety of condi- tions with at least 80 per cent of the crew, resulting in a written MOB Plan to be submitted as part of entry documentation? As a responsible offshore racer –or
cruiser –you should all develop your own MOB Plan for your boat and crew. Sched- ule your own SAS Training Day. Co-ordi- nate with other boats to share resources, like a photo boat and drone. Feel free to use Storm Trysail’s Do it Yourself SAS Training Day (
stormtrysail.org) as a tem- plate. This also includes a Safety Briefing
and Damage Control Review that are accomplished while motoring out to the practice area. Assign a crew or experienced guest to be your ‘scribe’ to track evolutions and record comments. For quick-stop under sail upwind and downwind, and Lifesling practice under sail or engine, we use a Tallboy (also called a mooring stick) as the MOB. It is easy to grab to save time and doesn’t blow down- wind like a cushion. For actual MOB recovery we use a
dummy designed by Butch Ulmer and fab- ricated by UK Sails. Unlike bulky human- form types, our dummies are actually quite intelligent. They weigh 20lb dry, and 200lb when filled with water. Use the dummies as either a free-floating disabled MOB, or tied to a Lifesling and trailed astern to simulate an MOB in the Lifesling. After training on the water return to the
safety of your home port and now try the various recovery techniques with a crew in lieu of the dummy. Or as my crew said: ‘Swap out one dummy for another.’ Practise throwing the Lifesling from midships to the nearby MOB, the Stan- dard Lift (1:1) with the knot at 25ft (or more), the Midline (1:2) Lift, and the Res- cue Crew. Also try recovering your MOB acting as if disabled and unable to stay in the Lifesling… it will give you religion. (All these techniques will be detailed in Part 2.) With crew input, video/photos and the
scribe’s observations, draft the MOB Plan that works best for your boat. Print it, cir- culate it to your crew, post it aboard, and practise. Go to
stormtrysail.org/saslinks to review real MOB Plans from Stan and Sally Honey’s Cal 40 Illusion, Rich du Moulin’s double-handed Express 37 Lora Ann and the fully crewed 59ft Hound. And please share your own plans with
the Storm Trysail Club and Seahorse Magazine. We would be happy to review your plan and learn from it. Rich du Moulin, Larchmont, New York q
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