Man overboard

Time is the enemy. According to the MAIB analysis reported by the RYA, in cold water a crew has on average less than 11 minutes to recover a crew member before they become unconscious, and in some cases only 4-5 minutes. That is why the manoeuvre must be decided and practised beforehand, and everyone on board must know what to do.

The reason is cold water shock. In water at 15 °C or colder it can cause cardiac arrest or other medical problems. The first 60-90 seconds are the most dangerous: gasping that cannot be controlled, and if the head goes under water may be inhaled. The RNLI advises not to fight it and to float until the effect passes. The figure shows how the body reacts in the first moments.

This is the Top Sail method for a sailing boat, from the Seaman's Notes, in four parts: raise the alarm, electronics, stay close, first aid. This card covers the first two. Whoever sees someone fall shouts “Person in water” at once and points at the person with an outstretched arm, never losing sight of them. The dan buoy and the horseshoe are thrown into the water at once: they mark the spot and give buoyancy.

Then the electronics: press MOB on the plotter, which records the position, send the MOB alert from the DSC VHF and keep an eye on the AIS. Straight after, you think about the boat and stay close to the person, as the next card explains.

This is the second half of the Top Sail method under sail. To stay close to the person you heave to: the boat almost stops. Then you turn around by tacking and come back to the person at 60°. Once the person is recovered, first aid: keep them horizontal, ask the Coastguard for medical help and keep them warm until help arrives, watching out for cold water shock. The cards on the approach and on aftercare give the details.

This is the Top Sail method for a motor boat, from the Seaman's Notes. You shout “Person in water”; on the VHF you send the DSC alert and the Mayday; you press MOB on the plotter and slow down. Then the Williamson turn takes the boat back along her wake (the next card explains it step by step), while you look for the person.

The crew clip on in the cockpit. You manoeuvre onto the upwind side of the person, so that the boat drifts down towards them, and recover them at the lowest and widest part of the boat, the cockpit or the platform. Then first aid, watching for cold water shock and hypothermia.

The Williamson turn is typical of motor boats and lets you return along your own wake, to the same spot. You begin with the helm hard over towards the side the person fell from, so that the propeller swings away from them. When the bow is 60° off the original course, you put the helm hard over the other way. At about 20° before the reciprocal course you bring the helm amidships and settle on the reciprocal course. The diagram in the figure shows the case of a person who has fallen to starboard.

For motor boats the Seaman's Notes give precisely the Williamson turn; then you manoeuvre onto the upwind side of the person.

Aim to get upwind of the person: that way, when you slow down, the boat is pushed towards them, as the figure shows. When you are alongside put the engine in neutral or switch it off, because a turning propeller is a risk to avoid at all costs. If the person is conscious and can help, throw a line; a ladder, net and bathing platform (only in a calm sea) help. Otherwise use a halyard, a tackle on the boom, a lifting device or a sling.

With an unconscious person the recovery is much harder: someone must clip a lifting system to their lifejacket or harness.

If the person is in the water but still clipped to the boat by the tether, the priority is to stop the boat completely. Any movement through the water, however slow, risks forcing water into their lungs. If you cannot stop the boat or bring them aboard, consider cutting the tether and returning to them with the boat stopped.

In the quick stop you do not move away: you start at once, staying close to the person, as the diagram in the figure shows. The boat heads up and tacks, and the jib is left backed and slows it. You keep turning, bear away to leeward and gybe. The last leg is a close reach: you arrive slowly and stop close to the person. The sources describe the central part of the manoeuvre in slightly different ways: follow the version your instructor teaches you.

In the figure of eight you sail off a few boat lengths on a beam reach, then tack; you bear away and run down to leeward of the person, as the figure draws it. The final approach is on a close reach, and you control your speed by easing the sheets. The advantage is that the boat stays close to the person, and the difference from the other methods lies precisely in how far you move away and on what point of sail you arrive.