Man Overboard Recovery Explained — Day Skipper

Prerequisites

Before this lesson you should:

Have completed RYA Competent Crew or equivalent, including the immediate actions on a man overboard as crew, and the use of lifejackets, harnesses and jackstays.
Be able to helm on all points of sail, and tack, gybe and heave-to (Day Skipper sail trim and boat handling).
Understand boat handling under power, including prop walk and pivot point.
Know how to send a DSC distress alert and a Mayday (Day Skipper VHF lesson).

The Day Skipper practical syllabus requires you to recover a man overboard (in practice, a fender or bucket) under sail and under power, and as skipper to organise the crew. This lesson gives you the method; the practical course and regular drills give you the skill.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson you will be able to (RYA Day Skipper shorebased Safety and practical Emergency situations syllabus):

Explain why speed matters: cold water shock, swim failure and hypothermia.
Carry out and direct the immediate actions: shout, point, throw, mark, and alert.
Assign crew roles, including a dedicated spotter.
Return to a casualty under sail using the quick stop, and the reach-tack-reach (figure-of-eight) method.
Return to and approach a casualty under power, keeping the propeller clear.
Recover a casualty aboard using a ladder, a lifting strop and halyard, or a parbuckle, and know when a casualty must be lifted horizontally.
Give basic aftercare for hypothermia and near-drowning.
Adapt the procedure for night and poor visibility, and know when to call for help.
Reduce the risk of anyone going overboard in the first place (RYA: prevention, lifejackets, harnesses, jackstays).
Use a Lifesling, calculate tidal drift of a casualty and send a correct MOB Mayday (RYA: Mayday procedure, MOB equipment).
Handle special cases: short-handed boats, heavy weather, unconscious casualty and handover to the Coastguard.

RYA Syllabus Map

This lesson covers the following RYA Day Skipper items. Use the table as a revision checklist.

RYA syllabus item	Where it is covered
Shorebased, Safety: man overboard prevention, equipment and recovery	Why Every Second Counts, Prevention, Getting the Casualty Aboard
Shorebased, Safety: action on a casualty and the Mayday call	Immediate Actions, The MOB Mayday and the Coastguard
Shorebased, Safety: hypothermia and cold water	Why Every Second Counts, Aftercare
Practical, Emergency situations: recovery of a man overboard under sail and under power	Returning Under Sail, Returning Under Power
Practical, Emergency situations: skipper organises the crew and the recovery	Crew Roles, Worked Example
Practical, Night cruising: MOB at night	Night and Poor Visibility
Practical, Preparation for sea: lifejackets, harnesses, jackstays	Prevention

What the examiner expects. On the practical course the instructor throws a fender or bucket and shouts "man overboard" without warning, often when you are busy. They look for: the shout and point happening at once, a named spotter who never stops pointing, the MOB button pressed and the buoy thrown, the engine started with a check for lines, a controlled approach that stops with the casualty alongside the shrouds, and clear orders from you throughout. Hitting the fender at speed or losing sight of it is a failure of the drill, however quickly you arrived.

Why Every Second Counts

What happens in cold water

UK sea temperatures are usually between about 8 and 17 degrees C, cold enough to kill a fit swimmer. A useful rule is "1-10-1":

Phase	Approximate time	What happens
Cold water shock	First 1 to 3 minutes	Involuntary gasp, hyperventilation, sudden rise in heart rate and blood pressure. Gasping under water causes drowning. A lifejacket keeps the airway clear
Swim failure	Next 10 to 30 minutes	Muscles and nerves in the arms and legs cool; the casualty loses grip and coordination and cannot swim, climb or hold a line
Hypothermia	From about 30 minutes onwards, often an hour or more	Core temperature falls, causing confusion, then unconsciousness. Without a lifejacket, drowning follows

The lessons for the skipper:

Within a few minutes the casualty may be unable to help themselves at all. Plan to recover a helpless person.
A lifejacket with crotch strap and sprayhood is the casualty's best chance of survival.
Get back fast, but get back under control. A fast, chaotic return that runs the casualty down is worse than a slower, controlled one.

Losing sight

In anything but a flat calm a head in the water disappears behind waves within a short distance. At 6 knots the boat travels 100 m in about 30 seconds. Losing sight of the casualty is the commonest reason recoveries fail.

Immediate Actions

Whoever sees someone go over starts these actions instantly. They should be drilled until they are automatic.

MOB immediate actions: shout, point, throw, mark, all within seconds

SHOUT "Man overboard, starboard side!" to alert everyone, including the crew below.
POINT at the casualty and keep pointing. This person becomes the spotter.
THROW the lifebuoy and dan buoy, and anything else that floats, as close to the casualty as possible. It gives them buoyancy and a target, and marks the area.
MARK the position: press the MOB button on the GPS or chartplotter. Note the time.
ALERT: the skipper decides on the recovery method, starts the engine (after checking for lines in the water), and sends a DSC distress alert and Mayday unless the casualty is going to be back alongside within moments. A man overboard is a grave and imminent danger; HM Coastguard would far rather stand down a lifeboat than launch late.

The RYA practical notes split the drill into initial actions (shout, spot, throw the dan buoy to give a datum, press the MOB button on the GPS) and secondary actions, whose order depends on whether the casualty can be seen and whether the boat can turn straight away: furl the headsail, check for lines over the side, start the engine and return; give buoyancy by throwing a horseshoe; sheet the mainsail in hard, heave-to or sail back; prepare a retrieval aid or lasso; put a crew member in a harness ready to help with the recovery; make the approach into the wind; sight the casualty through the shrouds to keep them away from the bow; and pick them up on the leeward side. A man overboard is a Mayday or a DSC distress alert.

The dedicated spotter

The single most important role.

The spotter does nothing else: no sheets, no winches, no radio.
They point with an outstretched arm all the time, so the helm can steer towards the arm even when the helm cannot see the casualty.
They call out distance and position: "Fifty metres, two o'clock."
If the spotter must be relieved, the new spotter must see the casualty and say so before the first stops pointing.

The dan buoy and lifebuoy

Dan buoy: a flag on a pole for visibility, a light for night, a weighted base and a drogue to reduce drift

The dan buoy's flag stands about 2 m above the water and can be seen long after a head has disappeared. It drifts at roughly the same rate as a person, so even if you lose sight of the casualty, they are probably near it. Throw the horseshoe lifebuoy and the dan buoy together if they are attached; throw them upwind of the casualty if you can, so they drift down to them. Check the light and flag before every season, and make sure crew know how to release them quickly.

Electronic aids

AIS MOB marker: auto-activating device on the lifejacket that transmits the casualty's GPS position to nearby AIS receivers

A personal AIS beacon fitted inside a lifejacket activates when the jacket inflates and transmits the casualty's actual position to your plotter and to every AIS-equipped vessel nearby. Unlike the MOB button, which marks where the boat was, the AIS beacon follows the casualty as they drift with the tide. A PLB (personal locator beacon) alerts rescue services via satellite. Both are increasingly common and are strongly recommended for night and offshore sailing.

Crew Roles

The skipper takes charge and gives each person one clear job, by name. The diagram shows the roles.

Role	Task
Spotter	Points at the casualty continuously and calls distance and direction
Helm (usually the skipper)	Executes the return and the approach
Engine / sheet hand	Starts the engine, checks for lines in the water, handles sheets and furling as directed
Deck crew	Prepares the recovery gear: lifting strop, heaving line, ladder, halyard, and stands by to grab the casualty
Radio	Sends the DSC alert and Mayday, keeps the Coastguard updated, and later prepares warm clothing and first aid

On a short-handed yacht people will double up, but never the spotter. With only two aboard and one in the water, the remaining person must do everything: press the MOB button, throw the gear, send the DSC alert (it takes seconds) and return under engine or sail while keeping the casualty in sight. This is why short-handed crews must be especially careful to stay aboard.

Returning Under Sail

The RYA teaches two main approaches for a sailing yacht. Whichever you use, the goal is the same: come back to the casualty slowly and under control, stopping with them alongside, near the shrouds on the leeward side.

The quick stop

The quick stop keeps the boat as close as possible to the casualty and is the first choice for a crewed boat when the casualty is seen to go over.

Quick stop: turn immediately, completing a tight circle back to the casualty and approaching from leeward

Under sail, the method is:

Immediately head up into the wind and tack, leaving the headsail sheet cleated so the headsail backs. The boat stops quickly and stays close to the casualty.
Let the boat bear away, with the headsail still backed, until the wind is roughly on the beam or slightly aft.
Furl or drop the headsail (or leave it backed if it does not get in the way), and start the engine if appropriate, checking for lines in the water.
Continue to bear away slowly, sailing in a tight circle round the casualty, and gybe under control with the main centred.
Come up onto a close reach towards the casualty, and make the final approach as for reach-tack-reach below.

With an engine, the quick stop can be completed under power once the headsail is away. Under power, turning the bow towards the side the casualty fell also swings the stern and propeller away from them, which is why the turn towards the casualty is the instinctive first move for a motor boat.

Reach-tack-reach (the figure-of-eight)

This method takes a little longer but gives a controlled approach and allows you to correct mistakes. It is the method most often taught for sailing yachts.

Reach-tack-reach: sail away on a reach, tack, then come back on a reach for a controlled approach

Immediately put the boat onto a beam reach (whichever way is quicker from your present heading, usually by bearing away from close-hauled or heading up from a run). On a run, do not gybe in a panic: head up to a reach.
Sail away on the beam reach for about 6 to 10 boat lengths while the crew prepares. Do not go further than the spotter can see.
Tack (not gybe). This brings the boat back on a reciprocal reach.
Bear away onto a broad reach to get downwind of the casualty.
When the casualty is on a close reach from you (about 50 to 60 degrees off the wind), turn onto a close reach towards them.
Approach on the close reach, controlling speed by easing the mainsheet (spilling wind to slow, trimming in to speed up). The headsail should be furled or let fly so it does not drive the boat or block the helm's view.
Aim to stop with the casualty just to leeward of the bow, alongside the leeward shrouds. The boat will drift down onto them, providing a lee, and the lower leeward side is easier to lift from.

The test of the approach: on a close reach you can always slow down by letting the sails flap. If you come in on a broad reach, you cannot stop, because the mainsail fills against the shrouds.

The figure-of-eight shown below is a variant of the same idea: get to leeward of the casualty, then approach upwind under control.

Figure-of-eight return: turn away, sail briefly downwind, tack and approach from leeward

If you miss

If you arrive too fast, too far to windward or downwind, do not try to force it. Sail away, keep the spotter on the casualty, and come round again. A second, controlled approach is better than running the casualty down.

Returning Under Power

Most yachts use the engine for the final approach. The critical rule is that the propeller must never come near the casualty.

Engine-assisted recovery: start the engine, go to neutral within about two boat lengths, never engage gear near the swimmer

Before engaging gear, check no sheets, lines or the lifebuoy line are in the water. A fouled propeller now could cost the casualty's life.
Furl or drop the headsail, and centre or drop the main so it does not drive the boat or swing the boom.
Return to the casualty and make the final approach heading into the wind (or into the stronger of wind and sea), so you can stop easily and the bow does not blow off.
Approach slowly with the casualty on the side the helm can see, and bring them alongside forward of the beam, near the shrouds.
Put the engine in neutral when about two boat lengths away and coast the last part. Once the casualty is alongside, keep the engine in neutral, or stop it, until they are aboard.
If you miss, motor away clear and come round again. Never go astern towards a person in the water.

Remember prop walk and the pivot point: as the boat turns, the stern swings outwards, and a burst astern kicks the stern sideways. Plan so the stern swings away from the casualty.

In heavy weather a reefed main and the engine together (motor-sailing) give the best steerage and control.

Getting the Casualty Aboard

Getting someone back aboard is often harder than getting back to them. A wet adult in clothing and a lifejacket can weigh over 100 kg, and freeboard on a cruising yacht is often more than a metre. Have the gear ready before you arrive.

First, attach the casualty to the boat as soon as you reach them: a line round them or clipped to the lifting becket on their lifejacket or their harness, so the boat cannot drift away from them. A lasso (a large bowline in a floating line, dropped over the casualty and pulled tight under the arms) may be the easiest way to attach a line to a person in the water who cannot help, and a crew member in a harness, clipped on and leaning out over the lee rail, can put it on them. Muscles lose their strength very quickly in cold water: work out a method and discuss it with the crew before you need it, and do not rely on any help from the casualty.

Stern ladder or bathing platform

Stern gate or boarding ladder recovery: suitable only for a casualty able to climb

If the casualty is fit, conscious and able to climb, a stern ladder or bathing platform is the simplest route back. But:

The stern pitches heavily in a sea and the propeller is close by. The engine must be stopped, not just in neutral, when someone is at the stern.
A cold casualty soon loses the strength to climb. Do not let them waste energy on repeated attempts.
A casualty who has been in the water for more than a few minutes, is hypothermic or exhausted should not climb a ladder (see below).

Lifting with a halyard

Use a spare halyard (or the main halyard with the main dropped) led to a two-speed winch; the mainsheet tackle, unshackled from the traveller and hooked to the casualty's strop, is another ready-made hoist. Attach it to the lifting becket on the casualty's lifejacket, a dedicated lifting strop (a padded loop put under the arms), or a lifesling. A strong crew member winches while another guides the casualty and fends off. A lifesling (horseshoe sling on a floating line) can be towed in a circle round the casualty so the line reaches them, and then used to lift them.

The Lifesling

A Lifesling is a floating horseshoe collar on about 40 m of buoyant line, stowed in a bag on the pushpit with the end secured to the boat. It lets you attach the casualty to the yacht without having to stop alongside them first, which is why it suits a short-handed crew. The bag in the photograph shows the sequence in six pictures.

A Lifesling bag with the six-step instructions printed on it: stop, circle until contact, casualty puts the sling on, pull alongside, rig a hoisting tackle, hoist aboard

Image: Dennis van Zuijlekom.jpg), CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.jpg)

Throw the sling and let the line pay out astern as you return to the casualty.
Circle the casualty at a distance of one to two boat lengths until the floating line drifts across them. Keep the engine out of gear or stopped if the line is near the propeller.
The casualty pulls the sling over their head and under their arms. If they cannot, they hold it tight against their chest.
Stop the boat and drop the sails. Do not tow the casualty through the water.
Haul them in slowly to the side, then lift with a halyard or a tackle. For a cold casualty, lift horizontally as described above.

The weakness of the sling is that it needs a conscious casualty who can put it on. It also needs practice, because the line can foul the propeller if you circle too tightly.

Lifting horizontally

A casualty who has been in cold water for more than a few minutes should be kept as near horizontal as possible during recovery. Their blood pressure is maintained partly by the pressure of the water around their legs; when lifted vertically out of the water, blood pools in the legs and the heart, already chilled, may stop. This "post-rescue collapse" can kill someone who was conscious and talking in the water.

Ways to lift horizontally:

Two lifting points: one strop under the arms and a second line under the knees, on two halyards, lifting together.
Parbuckle: secure a sail, net or strong blanket along the toe rail, pass it under the casualty and haul the free edge up with a halyard, rolling them up the side.
Purpose-made recovery slings and nets.

Practise with your crew in calm water so you know what works on your boat.

Aftercare

Once aboard:

Check airway, breathing and circulation. Start CPR if they are not breathing normally, and send or upgrade a Mayday.
Keep them lying down and horizontal; move them below gently and carefully. Avoid rough handling, which can trigger heart rhythm problems in a cold casualty.
Remove wet clothing (cutting it if necessary), dry them and insulate them with dry clothes, blankets, a sleeping bag and a survival bag, including the head. Insulate them from the cold cabin sole too.
If they are conscious and can swallow easily, give warm, sweet drinks. Never alcohol, which opens blood vessels in the skin and increases heat loss.
Do not rub their limbs or apply direct heat to the skin; rewarm gently.
Anyone who has inhaled water, even if they seem fine, needs medical assessment: lung damage can develop hours later. Anyone who was hypothermic or unconscious needs hospital assessment.
Call the Coastguard (Pan-Pan or Mayday as appropriate) for medical advice and assistance.
Head for the nearest port and keep monitoring the casualty's condition; a sleeping bag and dry clothes are the best rewarming kit on a yacht.
Log the incident: time, position, how long in the water, method used, treatment given.

Drift, Time and Distance: the Numbers

Boat speed and distance. 1 knot is about 0.5 m per second. At 6 knots the yacht covers 3 m every second, so after the 30 seconds needed to organise the first move you are about 90 m from the casualty. At 5 knots, a 10-boat-length reach on a 10 m boat is 100 m and takes about 40 seconds.

Tide and drift. Both casualty and dan buoy move with the tidal stream, but the MOB button marks the place where the person fell. If the stream runs at 2 knots and 15 minutes pass before you reach the MOB position, everything has drifted 2 x 15 / 60 = 0.5 nautical miles (about 900 m) down tide. Search down tide of the MOB mark, not on it. Wind adds leeway to the dan buoy and to a casualty's lifejacket, typically a few tenths of a knot in a Force 5.

Worked drift example. At 1500 a casualty falls in off a headland. The stream sets 090 degrees True at 1.5 knots. You are back at the MOB position at 1512 (12 minutes). Drift = 1.5 x 12 / 60 = 0.3 nautical miles (550 m) towards 090. Plot the datum 0.3 M east of the mark, tell the Coastguard the drifted datum and your search pattern, and ask the spotter on the dan buoy to confirm it.

Time in the water. In 12 degree water, most unprotected adults are unable to use their arms usefully after 15 to 30 minutes. Survival with a lifejacket can reach one to two hours, but consciousness may be lost earlier. Treat every minute as precious.

The MOB Mayday and the Coastguard

Send a DSC distress alert on VHF channel 70 (press and hold the red button, then select nature of distress: man overboard, if the radio offers it). The Coastguard acknowledges and you then speak on channel 16.

Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. This is yacht SEA BREEZE, SEA BREEZE, SEA BREEZE. Call sign MIKE ALPHA ONE TWO THREE, MMSI 2 3 5 1 2 3 4 5 6. Mayday SEA BREEZE. Man overboard. Position 50 degrees 41 minutes North, 001 degrees 20 minutes West (or: 3 miles south of St Catherine's Point). One person in the water, wearing a lifejacket. We are recovering under engine. Four persons on board. Over.

Keep the Coastguard updated: casualty recovered, condition, whether you need a lifeboat or a medical evacuation. If the casualty is recovered quickly and well, cancel the distress by saying so on channel 16 and follow the Coastguard's instructions. Never leave a Mayday hanging.

Night and Poor Visibility

At night or in fog, a man overboard is far more dangerous: the casualty is almost impossible to see and the return takes longer.

Night and low visibility MOB: return to the GPS MOB position, light discipline, expanding square search, Pan-Pan or Mayday

Send the DSC alert and Mayday immediately. Do not wait to see if you can find them yourself.
Throw the lifebuoy with its light and the dan buoy with its light at once; the lights are your best marker.
Press the MOB button immediately; the position is now vital.
Use a powerful torch, kept pointing at the casualty or the light, but do not shine it in the spotter's or the helm's eyes. Retro-reflective tape on lifejackets shines back in a torch beam.
Return to the MOB position, allowing for tidal drift: the casualty and dan buoy drift with the stream at the same rate as the yacht drifted. The MOB position on the plotter is where they went in, not where they are now.
If you cannot find the casualty, search systematically (for example an expanding square around the drifted position) and follow the Coastguard's instructions.

Prevention at night is non-negotiable: lifejackets and harnesses clipped on whenever on deck, clip on before leaving the companionway, crew never go forward alone, and reef early to reduce foredeck work.

Special Cases

Skipper overboard on a short-handed boat. If you are the one who falls in, the boat sails away. This is the reason for harnesses, a Lifesling, and for briefing every crew member on how to stop the boat: head up, let the sheets fly, drop or furl sails, start the engine, call the Coastguard. Brief a novice crew member in the first hour: "If I go over, press this MOB button, hold the radio's red button, and turn the boat into the wind."

Heavy weather. With a big sea the quick stop may be too violent. Furl the headsail, run the engine, keep the casualty on the lee side and approach slowly. Recovery in 2 m waves needs a lifting strop rigged to a winch before you get there.

Under sail only, no engine. Practise both methods on every boat. A boat that cannot stop under mainsail alone needs more sea room for the approach. Use the quick stop to stay close, then the reach approach to come back slowly.

Unconscious or injured casualty. Reaching them may mean a crew member entering the water. Only do so as a last resort, wearing a lifejacket and attached to the boat by a line, because two casualties are worse than one.

Handing over to the lifeboat. If you cannot recover the casualty, keep the spotter on them, note the time and position, follow the Coastguard's instructions, and prepare to guide the lifeboat or helicopter in. For helicopter work, follow the winchman's instructions, never attach the winch wire to the boat, and drop sails.

Prevention

The best recovery is the one you never need. The RYA emphasises:

Lifejackets worn on deck as the skipper directs, always at night, in rough weather, in poor visibility and when working forward. Ensure they are serviced, fitted correctly, with crotch strap, sprayhood and light.
Harnesses and tethers clipped to jackstays (running fore and aft along the deck) or strong points, so a fall ends on deck, not in the water. Use a short tether where possible.
"One hand for yourself and one for the boat."
Never urinate over the side; a surprising number of MOB fatalities are men found with flies open.
Brief the MOB procedure at the start of every passage, and drill it with a fender.

Worked Example

The sequence below shows a timed recovery drill on a crewed yacht.

Scenario

You are skippering a 36 ft yacht with four crew, close-hauled on starboard tack in 15 knots of wind, water 13 degrees C. At 1420, Tom, working at the leeward (port) shrouds, slips under the guardrail and falls in.

0 to 5 seconds: Jane, on the helm, shouts "Man overboard, port side!" You tell Sam to point and not stop. Jane releases the lifebuoy and dan buoy and presses the MOB button.
5 to 15 seconds: you take the helm and tack immediately, leaving the genoa sheet cleated: the quick stop. The boat stops, hove-to, about 30 m from Tom. Sam is pointing at him; he is in an inflated lifejacket and the dan buoy is 10 m from him.
15 to 45 seconds: Jane checks the water around the stern for lines and starts the engine. She furls the genoa. You tell Mike to send a DSC distress alert and Mayday ("man overboard"), and to rig the lifting strop on the spinnaker halyard.
45 to 120 seconds: you bear away, gybe under control with the main centred, and come round to bring Tom onto a close reach from you, approaching into the wind under engine with the main eased. Sam calls "20 metres, 1 o'clock."
Final approach: two boat lengths off, you put the engine in neutral and coast up so Tom is alongside the port shrouds. Mike throws him a line, then puts the strop over his head and under his arms.
Recovery: Tom has been in the water for about 3 minutes and is able to help. You stop the engine. Mike and Jane winch him up with the halyard while Sam guides him over the guardrail.
Aftercare: dry clothes and sleeping bag below, warm sweet drink. He swallowed some water, so you update the Coastguard, who advise a medical check on arrival. Log written.

Had Tom been in the water for 15 minutes and been unable to help, you would have used two strops or a parbuckle to lift him horizontally.

Common Mistakes

Common MOB recovery mistakes: losing visual contact, propeller near the swimmer, vertical extraction, delayed response, approaching too fast, giving alcohol

Losing sight of the casualty. Appoint a spotter who does nothing else.
Sailing too far away before turning back.
Gybing in a panic on a run with the boom uncontrolled. Head up first.
Starting the engine with lines in the water, fouling the propeller.
Approaching too fast or downwind, so the boat cannot stop.
Propeller in gear near the casualty. Neutral within two boat lengths; stop it when they are at the stern.
Not attaching the casualty to the boat once alongside.
Lifting a cold casualty vertically, risking post-rescue collapse.
Delaying the Mayday. Call early; the Coastguard can stand down.
Giving alcohol or rubbing limbs of a hypothermic casualty.

Summary

Cold water shock, swim failure and hypothermia mean the casualty may be helpless within minutes. Lifejackets save lives.
Immediate actions: SHOUT, POINT, THROW, MARK, then ALERT (engine, DSC alert and Mayday).
Appoint a dedicated spotter who only points.
Under sail, the quick stop keeps you close; reach-tack-reach gives a controlled return. Finish on a close reach, stopping with the casualty to leeward near the shrouds.
Under power, approach into the wind, neutral within two boat lengths, never go astern towards the casualty.
Attach the casualty, then recover using a ladder (fit casualty only), halyard and strop, or a horizontal lift for anyone cold or exhausted.
Aftercare: lie them down, dry and insulate, warm drinks if conscious, medical assessment after inhaling water or hypothermia.
At night, Mayday at once, lights on the gear, and allow for tidal drift.
Prevention: lifejackets, harnesses, jackstays, briefings and drills.

Check Your Understanding

What are the immediate actions when someone goes overboard?

Answer: Shout "Man overboard" and the side, point and keep pointing (spotter), throw the lifebuoy and dan buoy, press the MOB button, then alert: start the engine (checking for lines), and send a DSC alert and Mayday.

Why is the dedicated spotter so important, and what are the rules for the role?

Answer: Losing sight of the casualty is the commonest cause of failed recoveries. The spotter only points and calls distance and direction, never does other jobs, and hands over only when the relief has the casualty in sight.

Describe the "1-10-1" principle.

Answer: About 1 minute (up to 3) of cold water shock with gasping and hyperventilation; about 10 minutes (up to 30) of useful movement before swim failure; about 1 hour or more before unconsciousness from hypothermia.

Describe the reach-tack-reach method.

Answer: Turn onto a beam reach and sail away 6 to 10 boat lengths, tack, bear away to get downwind of the casualty, then turn onto a close reach and approach slowly, controlling speed with the mainsheet, stopping with the casualty to leeward near the shrouds.

Why should the final approach under sail be on a close reach and not a broad reach?

Answer: On a close reach you can stop by letting the sails flap. On a broad reach the main cannot be eased enough to spill the wind, so you cannot slow down.

Under power, when should the engine be put in neutral?

Answer: About two boat lengths from the casualty; coast the last part, and stop the engine if the casualty is near the stern.

Why should a casualty who has been in cold water for some time be lifted horizontally?

Answer: Lifting vertically removes the water pressure supporting their circulation; blood pools in the legs, blood pressure drops and the chilled heart may stop (post-rescue collapse).

Name two ways of achieving a horizontal lift on a yacht.

Answer: Two halyards with a strop under the arms and another under the knees, or a parbuckle using a sail, net or blanket secured to the toe rail and hauled up by a halyard.

The casualty is recovered, conscious and shivering, and swallowed sea water. What do you do?

Answer: Lie them down, remove wet clothing, dry and insulate them, give warm sweet drinks (no alcohol), monitor breathing, and contact the Coastguard for medical advice; they need medical assessment because inhaled water can cause problems hours later.

At night, why might the casualty not be at the MOB position shown on the plotter when you return?

Answer: The MOB position is where they fell in. Both the casualty and the dan buoy drift with the tidal stream, so they will have moved; allow for the drift (or use an AIS beacon, which shows their live position).

The tidal stream is setting at 2 knots. A casualty falls in at 1000 and you reach the MOB position at 1015. Where should you search?

Answer: Drift is 2 x 15 / 60 = 0.5 nautical miles. Search 0.5 M down tide from the MOB mark, in the direction the stream is setting, and keep the spotter on the dan buoy, which drifts with the casualty.

Why should a Lifesling not be used to tow the casualty?

Answer: Towing through the water forces water over their face, can cause drowning, and the line can foul the propeller. The boat should be stopped with sails down and the casualty pulled in slowly.

Man Overboard Recovery