Is the Hypohoist a practical solution to recovering an MOB? Have you any personal experience of what really works in practice? I've only been involved in one MOB recovery, and that was on a racing boat, and it took all eight of the crew to turn the boat, drop sails, keep the casualty (from another boat) in sight, and then haul him in via the stern boarding ladder. It made me realise just how important it is not to risk going overboard when sailing two up!

On most of the crews I have sailed on, the skipper will usually do at least one MOB recovery before any lengthy passages. I think this is a good idea as it keeps procedures fresh in people’s minds.

Sail hoists are generally really hard to use as they take a long time to set up and can be awkward to lift. This one looks as if it is a better idea, but we have always resorted to boat hooks and man power to get casualties out of the water.

Yep - practise is the key.. we used to do them monthly as part of out domestic safety certificate when I was skippering the pleasure cruises.

We were also quite lucky that one member of the crew loved swimming so was alway happy to be thrown overboard!

W.

After doing my sea survival course recently, I realised how hard it is to use the rope ladder at sea. Not an easy task I tell you especially while suited and booted with wet weather gear. I would imagine that this design may have similar problems.

Our local Lifeboat station (Beaumaris) and yacht club (NWVYC) have a joint day every year where we cover topics just like this. It starts with an evening talk the night before by one of the Lifeboat helms on SAR, MOB etc in the clubhouse. The next day several yachts go out with a couple of lifeboat crew aboard, one of whom acts as an MOB. Yacht crew get to practise their ideas on recovery, and lifeboat crew get valuable experience on a yacht. I wonder if there are any other yacht clubs who do this sort of thing?

Hi Glen, what a brilliant idea. I will put it to the committee of my club immediately!

Yes, that does seem like a good idea glen. I think the cruising association do a simular thing, though I haven't really used my membership there to it's full potential. Don't think that will be one I will be renewing somehow.

I have read about using the main sheet as a block and tackle by releasing it from the travellor, swinging the boom out, have the person in the water clip themselves onto their harness (assuming they are wearing a life jacket!!! and conscious) with the snap shackle and then use the main sheet to lift them back on board - has anyone tried it and if so does it work. The alternative is to rig a seperate block and tackle from the end of the boom and do the same thing except using the main sheet to control the boom itself.

Been a loner, how do I practice MOB, I could throw myself overboard, but who would haul me back aboard. Scaaaaaaaaareeeeeeey

Donald...

Maybe prevention is better than cure in your case! :)

W.

We have always taken the view that prevention is better than cure, and although we are very bad at wearing lifejackets we are quite good at wearing harnesses and clipping ourselves on. It's an absolute rule when we are doing solo watches at night, because the idea of waking up and finding the other is no longer in the cockpit, and the boat is happily flying along under autopilot doesn't bear thinking about.

There was that terrible story a few years ago though where some children were clipped on to a boat that went down, with harnesses built into their lifejackets that came out of the back of them. The ship down so quickly that their father wasn’t able to detach them both and all three died as a result of him trying to rescue the kids.

Prevention is good, but make sure it works under all circumstances. Had they not been attached at all they wouldn’t have gone down with the ship – not that I am suggesting that is any better an idea.