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The Quick Stop Maneuver
On my second jump, my rescuers chose the quick stop maneuver,
where they crash tacked as soon as possible and simply sailed
around me while releasing the Lifesling from the stern of
the boat. Like a waterskier, I waited until the flotation
collar at the end of the line came within reach. I placed
the collar under my armpits and signaled them to haul me in.
One of the keys to using the Lifesling is to stop the boat
as soon as the victim dons the device.
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I quickly
discovered that any pull on the line tended to drag me
face down in the water. Once alongside the boat, I could
rest comfortably in the Lifesling while the crew took
the main halyard from the lowered mainsail and rigged
it to a dedicated block and tackle with which they hoisted
me out of the water.
Although time-consuming, this procedure ad-dresses the
issue of shorthanded rescuing, since the purchase of the
block and tackle al-lows one person to do all the work.
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Choosing a MOB Method
My two experiences as a victim represent only a small fraction
of the 65 tests conducted by the other participants during
the September exercise. Others had experiences similar to
mine and some had very different ones. The only commodity
hard to find after the three days were conclusions; the definitive
man-overboard recovery procedure has yet to be developed.
Some suggestions did emerge, however, that have merit in nearly
all situations. Use whichever method you feel comfortable
with and practice it before a real emergency. Stay close to
the victim and approach him at a slow speed.
Don't worry about which side of the boat the victim ends up
on; recovery can be made successfully from either side. Make
contact with a line or other device and secure the victim
to the boat as soon as possible. Supply him with flotation
that will keep him afloat in case you get sepa-rated again.
Better yet, have everyone on board wear a life jacket, especially
those who don't know how to swim or are wearing foul weather
gear and seaboots.
SAILING's writer, right, West Coast Editor Shimon-Craig Van
Collie, retrieved and happy to be back onboard.
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