WW_Fall99

Safety First

The Crew Overboard Drill
- a refresher

When was the last time you practised a crew overboard drill under sail? Could you do it tomorrow on a moment's notice? Could your crew or sailing friends if you were the one in the water? With temperatures dropping, Fall is a time of year when it's especially important to be able to get back quickly to someone in the water.

The question is often asked: "Why a drill? Why not just turn the boat around and point it towards the floating crew member?" The short answer is that you want to make sure whatever you do is going to work: it's going to get you back quickly, keep you out of the no-sail-zone to leeward of the victim so you can keep moving, and get the boat safely stopped close to the victim for a recovery. Having someone in the water, and possibly a distressed crew on board, is not a good time to be inventing new ways of returning. Crew overboard (COB) drills have been carefully thought out and tested, all you have to do is know how to execute them. So let's take a few minutes to refresh our memory and review the triangle return method.

The Triangle Method

The triangle return method is probably the drill you learned in sailing school. It's not the only method of getting your sailboat turned around, back to someone in the water, and stopped: there's also the quick-stop, fast return and figure eight. But the triangle has proven to be perhaps the best, especially for novice sailors. A few years ago, tests were conducted on San Francisco Bay where a number of different crew overboard return methods were assessed, in different sized boats under various wind and wave conditions, and with experienced and novice sailors. While other drills worked well in specific conditions, the triangle method was by far the most versatile and reliable. It was easy to remember, easy to execute on most boats in most conditions, and it regularly got the boat back to the victim in under two minutes.

The triangle COB drill gets its name from the 3-sided course the boat sails to get back to the person in the water; starting with a beam reach, tacking and bearing away to a broad reach, and finally heading up to a close reach.

First reactions

When someone falls off the boat, there are a few things that should happen right away. The first is to sound the alarm by shouting "crew overboard!" This alerts others on board that there's a problem and gets them up on deck where they can help. Even if you're the only one left on board, it's reassuring to the person in the water to hear the alarm and know they've been noticed.

The next thing to do is a natural reaction: Ask the person in the water if they're all right. Any kind of answer is better than no answer. No reply might mean the COB is unconscious, and if they're not wearing a life jacket, you've got a more serious problem. Even a fast return of two minutes might not be fast enough to save someone unable to keep themselves afloat. You're reaction will depend on a lot of factors like water conditions and swimming ability; but you may have to consider getting someone else in the water to keep the victim afloat, even if this means you now have to recover two people instead of one. Opinions vary on what to do in this situation, and it's important to note that putting a second person in the water is not recommended.

After the alarm has been sounded and the COB's condition has been checked, it's time to get some stuff in the water: life jackets, seat cushions, a crew-overboard pole -- anything that floats. This gives the COB something to help keep them afloat if they're not wearing a PFD, and it helps finding them when you return should visibility be limited in any way.

Finally, assuming you're not alone, appoint someone to keep an eye on the victim so you always know where they are. It's easy to become disoriented during the return maneuver, and easy to lose sight of someone floating only a few inches above the water in all but the best conditions. A good habit is to keep the lookout pointing at the COB throughout the drill, this keeps the lookout from getting distracted, and helps the helmsperson gauge the return course. If you have a GPS receiver handy, you or another crew member can also enter your position as a waypoint to help you return to the area where the COB is - some GPS units even have a COB button to make it faster to enter the position. This is particularly helpful if you're alone or if visibility is poor.

Sailing the triangle

There are three points of sail to remember for the triangle method. Have these firmly committed to memory: Beam Reach, Broad Reach, Close Reach. (Next time you're lined up at a grocery checkout, repeat these points of sail to yourself before turning your attention to the tabloid headlines!)

No matter which point of sail you were on when you lost someone off the boat, turn on to a beam reach. You can even do this while you're sounding the alarm, and doing everything in the first-reaction checklist mentioned above.

Once on a beam reach, you can settle down, get the remaining crew ready for a recovery, and put a little maneuvering room between you and the victim. How far you sail depends on how your boat handles and the wind, wave, and visibility conditions; but you'll want at least four or five boat lengths so you'll have room to complete the rest of the drill.

Now, you've got to reverse your course and start working your way back to the COB by sailing a broad reach. This will put you a little to leeward of the victim, and into position for the final approach. Gybing from the beam reach around roughly 120° to a broad reach would be quicker, but it is also riskier: You don't necessarily want the boom flying through the cockpit while everyone's distracted by the person in the water. That's why the CYA and US Sail recommend tacking, then bearing away to the broad reach. It's almost as quick, safer and easier to execute in most wind conditions, and doesn't require the same careful attention to sail trim as a gybe might.

From the broad reach, the last point of sail will be heading up to a close reach and sailing towards the COB. The trick is to make sure you don't head up too late, only to find yourself too far to leeward of the victim and your sails luffing. A good gauge is to sight along your traveller, and start your turn when the COB appears just ahead of abeam.

On your close-reach final approach, you can easily control your speed by sheeting in or easing the sails. It's also easier if you just release the headsail, let it flog, and work with the main sheet only. You want to get back to the COB as quickly as possible, but you also want to be moving slowly when you get there - running into the COB with your bow is only going to compound your problems, and their's!

Again it depends on conditions, but usually you want to come to a stop with the boat to leeward of the person in the water. There are two reasons for this. First, the COB will likely have turned so their back is to the wind and waves, so they'll be facing you when you come along side to leeward; second, if a wave picks up the COB and pushes them into the side of the boat (assuming the waves are running in the same direction as the wind) the impact isn't going to hurt them as much as having the boat pushed into them.

Once the COB is alongside, you'll want to make sure they stay there and don't drift away before you can bring them safely back on board. Be ready with a line to attach or wrap around the COB while you prepare the recovery. Getting the crew member back on board shouldn't be a problem if they're conscious and you've got a boarding device like a ladder on board - now mandatory equipment in Canada if your freeboard is greater than half a meter. Recovering an unconscious or injured COB can be a challenge. This will be the subject of a future "Safety First" article.

Trouble Spots

Sailing the triangle return takes practice, especially for someone new to sailing. It isn't always easy to execute the points of sail so you end up coasting to a stop just to leeward of the COB. With practice, it can be quickly mastered, but there are a couple of trouble spots to look out for.

The maneuver that often causes trouble is the tack and bear-away to a broad reach. We're accustomed to tacking from close hauled to close hauled, about 90°. Having to complete a 225° turn from a beam reach to a broad reach isn't something you may be used to doing. Make a sloppy tack and bear-away, and by the time you look up to check if you're abeam the COB, it's too late: you're too far to leeward and you won't be able to get back up to them without a time-consuming beat back to windward.

Another common mistake is to wait too long before heading up for the final approach on a close-hauled course. It's always better to head up early rather than late. Head up early and you can always bear away and alter your course to leeward if you find you're approaching on a beam reach. Turn too late, and again, you might find yourself too far to leeward of the COB to be able to sail a close-reach approach.