MAN AT SEA! Here is the procedure to follow to save it

Together with ocean navigator Sergio Frattaruolo, we have drawn up an outline to follow should you find yourself facing the worst emergency on board: a crew member falling overboard. Here’s what you need to do to save him (and the behaviors to follow if you were the one who ended up in the water)

What is the worst emergency you can face while boating? Sergio Frattaruolo, founder of the ocean sailing school Extreme Sail Academy, has not the slightest doubt: “It is the fall of a man at sea while sailing.: since this is a sudden situation that has strong emotional repercussions, the best way to handle it is to rely on a single procedure that is effective in all situations and not on ‘textbook’ maneuvers. Both during the day and at night, with fog or formed sea. This is the only way not to panic and make an already serious situation worse.” Here, in points is the procedure to follow.

MAN OVERBOARD, WHAT TO DO

1. As soon as the fall occurs, make sure to fix the GPS position. On the chartplotter or manual GPS: in my opinion it is essential to have a portable one with a Garmin-type MOB button, even an older generation, in the cockpit within reach. This will allow you to return to the location regardless of the weather: when we call an ambulance or the fire department, what do we give them first? Address.

2. Stop the boat as close as possible to the spot where the accident occurred. Under white sails it will be easier (put on the spinning mainsail), while if you are under spinnaker you will have to lay spinning sheets to haul it down before putting on the mainsail. In the meantime, notify the entire crew (with a keyword you should have established before setting sail, perhaps “Man Overboard” or “Man Over Board” and get them all on deck: especially if conditions are challenging, it is critical that everyone be equipped with self-inflating jackets and tied to the jack-line. There is only one thing worse than one man overboard: two men overboard.

3. Launch Mayday with VHF radio and Epirb. If you spot it and hoist it on board, they will arrive faster and take care of it in case of trauma. And if you can’t find it (as is the case in most cases, especially with wave), rescuers will have a better chance than you of locating it from the helicopter or lookout. The automotive comparison fits like a glove: who would first try to treat a seriously injured person by himself after an accident before calling an ambulance?

4. Check that there are no lines in the water and start the engine.

5. Lower everything (or maintain the minimum of canvas if your boat requires it) and with the motor, approach in full control of the boat to the area where the man overboard fell, identified by GPS coordinates.

6. Approach the MOB position with utmost caution: the boat poses a great danger to man overboard (tons of fiberglass or metal, buoyant, no brakes, in a chaotic and unfamiliar environment). Reports are replete with cases of people run over and killed by rescuers. Direct the crew to carefully observe the surrounding body of water: move at a knot and utmost caution once you are at the GPS point. Especially if not too much time has elapsed since the accident, there is a high probability that the man overboard is very close to the boat.

7. If you spot the man overboard, stop the boat at least 20 to 30 meters away.

8. Lower the man overboard recovery system (i.e., the floating line integral to the boat and with a life jacket: I recommend the Rescue Sling from Plastimo or similar).

9. In order for the floating line to reach the man overboard, you will have to maneuver in such a way as to describe concentric circles to close around the MOB: the goal is for the line to reach the man overboard who can then grab it.

10. Keep a distance, upwind, with the engine in neutral: cock the floating line to make the man approach the boat from downwind or aft, never upwind. There are several methods for hoisting the MOB in a boat: on the latest generation of cruising boats and catamarans, boats equipped with an aft swim platform, the most effective way is to hoist it from the stern, with crew members sitting on the aft bridge (tied to the jackline) pulling the man overboard with the help of the mistress or mainsail halyard.

11. Once you have hoisted him aboard, pay special attention to trauma and shock state, keep in mind that people often fall overboard after bombing, hitting, facades on the broadside. If the MOB has been at sea for a long time, leave it lying down and do not lift it upright; the heart may not have enough force to pump blood to the brain. Also, if he is hypothermic, do not suddenly warm him up with the under-deck heater “on the ball” (the thermal shock could cause heart attacks) but let him gradually regain his body temperature.

12. If the man overboard is unconscious, to retrieve him a crew member must dive, obviously tied to a long line, with a self-inflating vest, mask, snorkel, and possibly a wetsuit (clothing and accessories I recommend having on board at all times.) The rescuer must reach the unconscious man by swimming, retrieve the MOB, activate his own self-inflating vest. At this point the crew on board will sail the rescuer and MOB who will be hoisted aboard with the help of the Rescue Sling.

WHAT TO DO IF THE MAN OVERBOARD IS YOU
In the unfortunate event that you are the one who falls overboard and have not taken any blows that have caused you to lose consciousness, you must, after activating all the tools at your disposal to make sure you are found (AIS MOB, PLB, LedFlare: I recommend that you always have them with you in your self-inflating vest) worry about staying afloat as long as possible and preserving your body temperature. Don’t take off your clothes: contrary to popular belief, the more you are dressed in technical clothing (oilskins, dungarees…) the more you will float. Clothes also create a warm water gap between your body and your surroundings, helping you in losing less heat. Do not swim or fidget-this will give you the feeling of getting warm, but in reality your body will be dissipating heat. Assuming that the self-inflating jacket will keep you afloat, curl up in a fetal position so that you expose as little body surface area as possible to the cold water. If the sea is rough, wear a life jacket hood, which will help you breathe; keep your back to the waves so you avoid breathing water. Spend energy just signaling your position to the boat by flailing and using the whistle.

WHO IS OUR EXPERT
Sergio Frattaruolo, from Bologna, class of 1969. In 2011 he crossed the Atlantic participating in the Mini Transat, and in 2012 he was in the Global Ocean Race (around the world in doubles on Class 40s). On the Class 40 Calaluna, he takes part in the most important offshore races in the Mediterranean. In 2013, he founded the Extreme Sailing Academy in Lisbon: an offshore sailing school aimed at everyone. In 2015, he and his students won the record on the Discovery Route in the up to 40-foot category. www.extremesailacademy.com

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