Crew Overboard

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One of the most frightening emergencies that can occur aboard a boat is a crew member falling overboard. DON'T LET IT HAPPEN TO YOU! It can be much more difficult than you can imagine to retrieve a person from the water and get him on board again. Imagine that a 200 lb. man has fallen overboard, his 120 lb. wife is on board and has been able to bring the boat along side and throw him a line. But if the freeboard is large, in most cases a person will not be able to climb aboard due to fatigue and waterlogged clothing. His wife, unassisted, could not possibly lift him. Now imagine that in falling the victim was injured or became unconscious. His wife cannot even get a line around him without going into the water herself, which would be foolish, as she may then be unable to re-board herself. A potentially life threatening crisis!

Prevention is best course: Make sure that you and your passengers follow a few common sense precautions.

Passengers should not stand in small boats underway.

Do not allow anyone to ride with their feet dangling over the side.

Deck gripping footwear is preferred.

Bare feet are unacceptable, wet fiberglass is very slippery.

Children MUST be wearing a life jacket.

One of the most common causes of COB and subsequent drowning is a crew member relieving himself over the side in a standing position. Use your head, use the head!

IF IT SHOULD HAPPEN TO YOU?
	The person seeing the incident should shout "Crew Overboard" and never lose sight of the person in the water. Finding him again can be difficult especially in high seas, so the person reporting should accept no other task than keeping the victim in view Simultaneously jettison a crew overboard rig. Also simultaneously the helmsman should slow the boats forward progress and turn towards the victim in a simple circle if conditions permit. Remember that every second counts.
	The Williamson turn, a traditional rescue method, is often the best choice when then location of the crew overboard is questionable. Put the helm hard over turning toward the side over which the person fell overboard - until your heading has changed 60 degrees. Then reverse the rudder and come around 240 degrees. You should then be on the exact reciprocal course.
	In a sailboat, the Quick-Stop method of rescue stops forward progress by immediately heading into the wind. Then tack back to the person in the water. Other options for stopping are the Rod-Stop Method or Heaving-to. You can look these up in any good sailing text.
	The next task is to get close to the victim. In a powerboat you can motor slowly alongside aiming just to the windward or leeward according to your judgment. If coming from windward in high winds and wave action, you may drift over the victim. Otherwise recovery is easier if you come from windward. Reach a dead slow speed as draw alongside. Remember that a boat travelling at more than one knot is impossible to either hang onto or stay with even if a line is thrown from the deck.
	If your boat is small it may be possible to bring the victim aboard over the transom. Otherwise, some form of mechanical advantage will be required. If the victim is unhurt he may be able to board using a swim ladder and platform. Consider installing one simply as safety equipment. The picture to the left shows a device called a LifeslingTM. It can be used to lift the victim aboard, but remember that if the victim is unconscious it may not be possible to get the sling around him without a second person going into the water.
If you have a GPS receiver press the MOB button as soon as the emergency occurs. This will provide a reference point in case the victim is lost from sight. If there seems to be any doubt about being able to recover the victim make a "PAN-PAN" call to get assistance.
Crew Overboard Rig: All boats should have a crew-overboard rig available for instant deployment when underway. Depending on the size of the boat this may range from a personal floatation device to a sophisticated COB module containing a single-person life raft with a drogue to slow down its drift, a life vest, an 8-foot pole, a strobe light, a radio beacon, survival food etc. For most boats a practical and effective system is a buoyant weighted pole at least 8 feet long with its top marked by a large international orange flag and a water activated strobe light. Such a rig usually has a horse shoe life ring, a whistle and a small drogue. It serves a double purpose: It focuses attention so that both the skipper of the boat and the crewmember overboard will try to make for the lighted pole.

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