Man Overboard - Recovery Under Sail

Recovery Under Sail

There have been various sailing maneuvers recommended and taught over the years. Three common ones follow. They all have various points in common. Whoever sees the accident should shout, "Man overboard" loudly and clearly to alert the rest of the crew. At least one person should do nothing other than stand and point at the casualty maintaining continuous visual contact. Whatever marker and flotation equipment is to hand should be thrown as near the casualty as possible by other crewmembers. This may include a horseshoe buoy or lifebuoy, a danbuoy or man overboard pole, and perhaps a floating smoke signal. If the equipment exists, then man overboard alerts should be triggered on whatever electronic gear is available including GPS receivers and DSC radio transmitters.