Good use of whiteboard, on the water, and drone! But I disagree on leeward pickup (boat windward of MOB), especially on a larger sailboat. Mine is 21000lb. Running over the MOB can kill them and if it’s really windy a windward pickup has less risk. Plus the sails are not in the way. If calm seas with swim platform, transom is easier unless you have a LifeSling and can hoist them up with halyard. It’s really hard to keep sight of a head in sea water with 3-4 foot swells 10 boat lengths away not to mention all the stress in the moment. So the closer we stay to the MOB the better. A quicker option is to fall off to a broad reach instead of beam to stay closer to the MOB. Even quicker is to jibe instead of the tack + fall off. I call that a quick turn. With an engine, I’d do a quick stop (immediate heave-to) which keeps you very close and drifting closer but instead of the traditional beam reach, run, douse jib, gybe, retrieve MOB, after the heave-to I’d turn on engine and assess the situation briefly. If you are short handed or it’s really rough, I’d then lower mainsail (you’re already into the wind) then fall off under power, douse jib, and pickup MOB under engine power. I’ve practiced all these things but fortunately never had to do any of them! 🤞
I sail smaller 15' Albacore dinghies, and we pick up our POBs on the windward side of the boat. That avoids having them run over by the side-sliding boat, as well as the serious possibility of capsizing from one large sailor hauling a second large sailor out of the water to leeward. I hold the mainsheet in one hand while helping the POB into the boat with the other. But my main difference with your approach is the APPROACH. If you try to approach a POB on a close-hauled course, you have great "brakes" - you can slow and stop just fine - but you have inadequate "gas" if you are going too slow. MUCH better to approach on a close reach. You can still slow and stop - if necessary by pushing the boom out to leeward - AND you also have a powerful gas pedal, sheeting in the main. I don't want to be anywhere near "in irons" when I'm sailing, and especially when doing something as sensitive as picking up a POB. I admit that sailors on a keelboat can stay right-side up your way. But we all know that dinghy sailors who switch to keelboats go to the head of the class (or the fleet), while keelboat sailors who switch to dinghies swim a lot while they acquire the skills. So why not teach a system that works well universally? With your 7 boat-length distance, there's lots of opportunities to test the "gas" and "brakes" on the approach and tweak the approach if necessary.
Great job for very experienced and practiced sailors, but for most boats with one very experienced captain and usually one or a few other people with varying experience and less knowledge, paired with a little sea state, low visibility /night, white caps, this is a great way to loose someone at sea. Getting out of earshot, over 100 feet from someone, loosing sight, expecting to keep track of an imaginary disappearing line in waves, say goodbye to the person overboard. Heave to, stay close to the person, maybe you can stay close enough they can yell to you, swim to you, good chance the boat will drift down on the person. Sailing 7 boat lengths from somone who fell overboard aT night into cold water is a death sentence.
I agree. As an offshore sailor I have instructed my wife (it is usually just us) to 1. Throw Life sling overboard. 2. Crash tack and heave to. 3. Start motor and drift down, keeping MOB on leeward side of boat. 4. Connect spare halyard to Life Sling line and winch MOB on board. Simple, quick and effective while maintaining minimal distance between boat ans MOB. The video demonstrates a method for inshore recovery with experienced sailors from a dinghy and does this well. Each captain must decide on their own procedures based on their boat type, sea state, location etc.
This is a great demo, but why aren't they wearing PFDs?
thanks so much this is great!
Good use of whiteboard, on the water, and drone! But I disagree on leeward pickup (boat windward of MOB), especially on a larger sailboat. Mine is 21000lb. Running over the MOB can kill them and if it’s really windy a windward pickup has less risk. Plus the sails are not in the way. If calm seas with swim platform, transom is easier unless you have a LifeSling and can hoist them up with halyard.
It’s really hard to keep sight of a head in sea water with 3-4 foot swells 10 boat lengths away not to mention all the stress in the moment. So the closer we stay to the MOB the better. A quicker option is to fall off to a broad reach instead of beam to stay closer to the MOB. Even quicker is to jibe instead of the tack + fall off. I call that a quick turn. With an engine, I’d do a quick stop (immediate heave-to) which keeps you very close and drifting closer but instead of the traditional beam reach, run, douse jib, gybe, retrieve MOB, after the heave-to I’d turn on engine and assess the situation briefly. If you are short handed or it’s really rough, I’d then lower mainsail (you’re already into the wind) then fall off under power, douse jib, and pickup MOB under engine power.
I’ve practiced all these things but fortunately never had to do any of them! 🤞
I sail smaller 15' Albacore dinghies, and we pick up our POBs on the windward side of the boat. That avoids having them run over by the side-sliding boat, as well as the serious possibility of capsizing from one large sailor hauling a second large sailor out of the water to leeward. I hold the mainsheet in one hand while helping the POB into the boat with the other.
But my main difference with your approach is the APPROACH. If you try to approach a POB on a close-hauled course, you have great "brakes" - you can slow and stop just fine - but you have inadequate "gas" if you are going too slow. MUCH better to approach on a close reach. You can still slow and stop - if necessary by pushing the boom out to leeward - AND you also have a powerful gas pedal, sheeting in the main.
I don't want to be anywhere near "in irons" when I'm sailing, and especially when doing something as sensitive as picking up a POB.
I admit that sailors on a keelboat can stay right-side up your way. But we all know that dinghy sailors who switch to keelboats go to the head of the class (or the fleet), while keelboat sailors who switch to dinghies swim a lot while they acquire the skills. So why not teach a system that works well universally?
With your 7 boat-length distance, there's lots of opportunities to test the "gas" and "brakes" on the approach and tweak the approach if necessary.
Great job for very experienced and practiced sailors, but for most boats with one very experienced captain and usually one or a few other people with varying experience and less knowledge, paired with a little sea state, low visibility /night, white caps, this is a great way to loose someone at sea. Getting out of earshot, over 100 feet from someone, loosing sight, expecting to keep track of an imaginary disappearing line in waves, say goodbye to the person overboard.
Heave to, stay close to the person, maybe you can stay close enough they can yell to you, swim to you, good chance the boat will drift down on the person. Sailing 7 boat lengths from somone who fell overboard aT night into cold water is a death sentence.
I agree. As an offshore sailor I have instructed my wife (it is usually just us) to 1. Throw Life sling overboard. 2. Crash tack and heave to. 3. Start motor and drift down, keeping MOB on leeward side of boat. 4. Connect spare halyard to Life Sling line and winch MOB on board. Simple, quick and effective while maintaining minimal distance between boat ans MOB. The video demonstrates a method for inshore recovery with experienced sailors from a dinghy and does this well. Each captain must decide on their own procedures based on their boat type, sea state, location etc.
Dude… where’s their life jacket!! Good demo … but pretty lame oversight in safety.