Man Overboard!!
We recently took Ocean Spirit II, a Fountaine Pajot Lucia 40, just offshore of San Diego to shoot the first video of a man overboard series. These drills were planned to see what MOB return technique was the fastest and safest way to get back to a crew member when they go overboard. Rather than have professional sailors crew the boat, we chose two crew members that are solid sailors, but didn’t have extensive catamaran experience. We thought this would be a more useful exercise in simulating the typical boat crew response to a MOB. The wind and seas were lighter than we were hoping for, but it turned out to be a hugely educational exercise for everyone.
We had 9 people onboard with the following breakdown:
2 Boat Crew (Sarah & Chip)
1 Sailing Instructor and Safety Officer (Lance)
1 MOB Swimmer (Anthony)
1 Safety Swimmer and Photographer (JR from Outex Water Housings)
4 Video Crew (Mark, Guinevere, Christian, Eddie)
“The Happy Captain” hoping we are a competent crew! Photo Credit: JR DeSouza - Outex.com
The Man Overboard Crew
When we headed out, the plan was to first use a lifejacket thrown overboard to time four different return methods. In theory, we would then use the fastest return method with a live swimmer in the water to come as close as possible to simulating an actual MOB. The four methods we planned on simulating were:
Figure 8 - As typically taught by the American Sailing Association
Quick Return - Broad Reach/Close Reach As typically taught by the American Sailing Association but with a jibe rather than a tack.
Quick Stop - This was planned to be our catch-all. The only requirement I wanted for the crew was to first head to wind to stop the boat. They would then have the choice to continue with a tack & jibe, or they could heave-to and drift down to the MOB, or motor back. The main idea for us was to stop close to the MOB to prevent losing sight of them.
Drop Sails & Motor - This is often many sailors first thought when asked about how to pick up a MOB and is a completely valid option. At times this could be the best choice, but we wanted to see how much time it added to the return. Unfortunately, the wind died out quite a bit and we didn’t try this method. The wind was light enough that we could overpower the sails with the motors so there would be only limited gain in taking the time to drop the sails. We will come back to this idea on a future day with bigger winds when eliminating lift from the sails could make a big difference in the recovery process.
After running through the Figure 8, BR/CR, and Quick Stop, it really seemed to me that a relatively small time difference in the techniques when properly executed wasn’t going to be a deciding factor in what was best. Right or wrong, my thought was that executing a quick stop and keeping the MOB close and in sight was the best thing for us to try with an actual MOB swimmer in the water.
West Coast Multihulls Catamaran Sailing School
First Actual MOB Recovery Attempt
With the main event for the day arriving, the excitement on the boat was pretty high. There is definitely something nerve-racking about putting people in the water, even when you are completely prepared. To simulate an actual MOB situation, we put the boat on autopilot, had Sarah inside reading a book, Chip chillin on the foredeck, and Anthony prepared to fall off the stern. That is about as far as the plan held together. I was inside with Sarah flying the drone and we didn’t hear a peep from Anthony when he went overboard. By the time he came up and inflated his life vest, he was out of earshot and/or he just forgot to call for help. I called the MOB, then Sarah and Chip jumped into action. Chip took the helm and rounded up for a quick stop while Sarah hit the MOB button on the GPS, threw inflatables, and got in position to spot. They both did a really great job, but the initial call was so delayed, the quick stop actually put us quite a distance from the MOB. Chip got the boat headed back to Anthony who was seriously uncomfortable with his inflatable lifejacket choking him. I then distracted Chip with simulated USCG VHF communication asking for his location, boat description, and current status.
Photo Credit: JR DeSouza - Outex.com
“The Happy Captain” swimming for his life! Photo Credit: JR DeSouza - Outex.com
Photo Credit: JR DeSouza - Outex.com
Our first approach was the first big lesson of the day. Chip didn’t get the boat heading up into the irons when we got close, so we had a little too much boat speed. This could have worked out, but Sarah had been helping spot and guide them back to the MOB and when she went to grab the lifeline to throw it in, it wasn’t quite ready. She couldn’t drop it fast enough and we went right past Anthony. Keep in mind, that in the moment, they both made decisions they thought were best. Chip should have looped farther downwind of the MOB and approached upwind, but it’s easy to make mistakes when the pressure is on. The pickup could have worked out if the lifeline drop went smoothly. Sarah could have taken her eyes off the MOB to get the lifeline ready, but should you really take your eyes off the MOB? Does it do any good to have the lifeline ready if you lose sight of the MOB? This is the difference between picking up a “Bob” and an actual person. The overall lesson for me was to do your best to get the boat stopped in the irons with the MOB very near the stern, and to not rely on a thrown lifeline, life ring, or life sling. Call me Captain obvious, but how many MOB drills have you done where you think: “I was going slow enough and could have gotten a real person onboard?” The reality is this: If you weren’t stopped, you weren’t going slow enough.
Return attempt two was exactly what I would expect to happen to most of us. After we coasted a few boat lengths past Anthony, Chip went to motors and backed up. All seemed good until he had to turn off the motors for the retrieval. The mainsail caught wind and we scooted out of range before we could pick up Anthony. The lesson learned here is the motors can get you to the MOB, but if you aren’t in the irons, you may sail off before you can get them on board. It all happens so fast in reality! Had Chip released the halyard or mainsheet we may have picked him up on this attempt.
Return attempt three was much more calculated. With lessons learned, Chip furled the headsail, motored under the MOB, and was in a solid position for the pickup. We finally had the man onboard after about 10 minutes and no big mistakes made.
Second Actual MOB Recovery Attempt
Lance suggested we use the Quick Return (CR/BR with Jibe) MOB method he usually teaches on his boat. It is basically a Broad Reach to Jibe to Close Reach to Irons. What worked really well about this method, was initially getting downwind of the MOB so it was a much more natural upwind approach to the swimmer and easier to turn up into the irons. We also started with Sarah in the cockpit reading a book so she would see and hear when Anthony went overboard. Chip started out up front again. This time it went pretty flawless. Sarah set the GPS MOB button and got a throwable in the water very quickly. Chip got to the helm and brought us around as Sarah spotted. We were dead in the water for the recovery and had the man onboard in about 3 minutes.
My Lessons Learned
Everyone learned a lot with this experience. The two biggest lessons I learned were:
#1. Make sure you approach upwind to the MOB so you can really get stopped in the water for the pick-up.
#2. Practice all aspects of a MOB drill to make sure all your equipment is ready and you are prepared.
I think all of us are excited to get out in tougher sailing conditions to see if these lessons hold up, or if things change.
With the MOB practice wrapped up, we had a beautiful sail back to San Diego Bay where we stopped at the Pizza Nova dock & dine to celebrate not actually losing the Happy Captain:)
We plan on shooting an entire series of videos featuring different types of monohulls, catamarans, crews, and weather conditions in the coming months!
Thanks to the crew for putting out such a great effort to make the day a success!
Lance Botthof is both a Captain and award winning ASA instructor for West Coast Multihulls. He is cool as a cucumber, and you can’t find a nicer or more knowledgeable Captain to teach you how to be a better sailor.
Anthony Austin - AKA “The Happy Captain,” was hugely instrumental in making this day a success by volunteering to be our MOB swimmer. He is also a licensed Captain and ASA instructor for West Coast Multihulls. Hit him up if you need a Happy Captain for your next charter, or book him for some lessons and hear first-hand what it feels like to watch your boat sail away hoping the crew doesn’t let ya down.
All these images from the water were shot by JR DeSouza using an Outex waterproof camera housing. If you are a boater, you should check out these products at outex.com. The housings are flexible, compact, and compatible with almost all brands and sizes of cameras. I’ve been using one for several years and am very happy with how well it travels and functions. It really is a great product for all the yacht photographers and sailing vloggers out there! We will be posting an in-depth review of this camera housing soon.
Sarah Alexander and Chip Jones were such great sports about being put in tough positions that were practically designed to make them fail. They went into this knowing that I would be showing their mistakes to spotlight what things can go wrong when an actual MOB happens. I think this was Chip’s first time to ever sail on a Catamaran. They were both 100% ready to have their actions scrutinized for the greater good of the sailing community. We all owe them a thanks for being willing to have cameras staring them down in pressure situations.
Mark Albertazzi is an outstanding sailor and sailing photographer that volunteered his time to help shoot an extra camera angle. Honestly, the day was so hectic that I couldn’t remember what happened on all the drills. I had to go review the video footage to piece the day together. Having Mark onboard to bounce production ideas past and knowing he was getting the footage we needed was hugely helpful. If you want to see some of his work or talk to him about a project, click over to markalbertazzi.com.
As always, Guinevere King was so helpful with pre-production ideas, being on camera, and shooting the event. She is who you need to call if you want to book catamaran sailing lessons or charters with West Coast Multihulls. She manages the catamaran fleet in both San Diego and the Sea of Cortez and would be happy to get you onboard! Email guinevere@westcoastmultihulls.com.
Christian Dumas is the new crew working with me to create content for California Coastal Cruising. He has the tedious job of going through the footage from 5 GoPros, 4 Sonys, and a Phantom 4 Pro to showcase the day in an educational and entertaining video. It was also great having him onboard to shoot one of those cameras and get more content.
Ocean Spirit II, our boat of the day, is part of the West Coast Multihulls charter fleet in San Diego. If you are interested in learning to sail or improving your catamaran skills with specialty clinics, click over to charter-catamaran.com to find out more.
In addition to creating content for californiacoastalcruising.com, I shoot commercial photography and videography for the charter and yachting industry. Click over to eddiefrank.com if you want to learn more. I’m also a Sailing Instructor and Captain for West Coast Multihulls.
- Eddie Frank
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