Emergencies

Man Overboard Procedure on a Yacht — Step by Step

Published · Last checked October 2026

If someone falls overboard: shout 'Man overboard!', throw a lifebuoy and danbuoy, appoint someone to point at the casualty and never lose sight of them, press the MOB button on the GPS, and send a DSC alert and Mayday. Then turn back, under sail (heave-to or reach-tack-reach) or carefully under engine, approach slowly from downwind so you stop alongside them, and lift them back aboard with a halyard, lifting strop or sling.

A rigid inflatable boat speeding across open sea during a man overboard drill
A man overboard drill. Practise it before you need it. Photo: U.S. Navy (MCSN Liam Kennedy), Public domain.

The first 30 seconds

  1. Shout 'Man overboard!' so everyone knows.
  2. Throw the lifebuoy, danbuoy and light towards the casualty. They mark the position and give flotation.
  3. Point: one person does nothing but watch and point at the casualty. In any sea, a head disappears very quickly.
  4. Press MOB on the GPS or chart plotter to record the position.
  5. Call for help: DSC distress alert, then a Mayday on channel 16. The coastguard would rather stand down than arrive late.

Getting back to them

The reach-tack-reach recovery: bear away onto a beam reach, tack, reach back, then close-reach in from downwind and stop with the casualty to windward
Reach, tack, reach: a common way to return to a casualty under sail.

Under sail

Many instructors teach the 'reach-tack-reach': bear away onto a beam reach for a few boat lengths, tack, sail back on the reciprocal reach, then turn onto a close reach a few lengths downwind of the casualty so you can spill wind and stop with them alongside on the windward side. Heaving-to immediately (the 'quick stop') keeps you close and is often best for short-handed crews.

Under engine

Check for ropes in the water before engaging the engine. Approach slowly, and put the engine in neutral as the casualty comes alongside: a turning propeller near a person is lethal.

An orange RNLI inshore lifeboat with crew in a misty harbour at Dartmouth
An RNLI inshore lifeboat at Dartmouth. If you cannot recover someone quickly, call for help at once. Photo: Sean Glossop, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Getting them aboard

This is often the hardest part. A wet adult in heavy clothing can be impossible to lift by hand. Use a halyard on a winch attached to their lifejacket's lifting becket or a lifting strop, a parbuckle (a sail or net rolled under them), or a commercial rescue sling. After long immersion, lift them as horizontally as possible and treat for hypothermia and cold water shock.

Practise the drill in the man overboard lesson.

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

Should you call a Mayday for man overboard?

Yes. A person in the water is in grave and imminent danger. Send a DSC distress alert and a Mayday; the coastguard can stand rescue assets down if you recover them quickly.

Why approach a man overboard from downwind?

So the wind slows you as you arrive, you can stop alongside them, and the boat does not drift down on top of them.

Start revising

← All guidesStart the free theory course →