Guide

Man overboard: the first 60 seconds

What the crew does in the first minute decides how the recovery goes. The person in the water is hard to see after only a few boat lengths, and the boat keeps moving away. Agree these steps before you sail, and practise them.

The checklist

1. Shout “Man overboard!” and the side: “Man overboard, port side!” Everyone on deck and below needs to know at once.
2. Throw flotation straight away: a lifebuoy, horseshoe buoy or danbuoy. It helps them float, and it marks the spot.
3. One person points and keeps pointing. Their only job is to keep the person in sight and point at them, without ever looking away.
4. Mark the position. Press MOB on the GPS or chartplotter. With Crew Guard running, the alarm screen already shows where their phone was last heard.
5. Call for help early: a Mayday by voice, or the DSC distress button set to “Man overboard”. A person in the water is grave and imminent danger. It's better to cancel later than to call too late.
6. Turn back. Under sail, use the manoeuvre your crew has practised, and keep the boat close to the person. Under engine, turn towards the side they fell from, so the propeller swings away from them.

Print this checklist

Getting them back aboard

• Come alongside slowly. Put the engine in neutral when you're close, and keep it there while they're near the stern.
• Get a line to them first, then lift. Use a halyard or tackle with a sling, and agree in advance how you'll do it on your boat.
• Cold water: lift them horizontally if they've been in the water for a while, and treat them for hypothermia once they're aboard.

Before you sail

Brief every crew member, including guests. Show them where the flotation and the MOB button are, and who does what. A crew that has practised once does all of this much faster.

At night and short-handed, the first problem is noticing

A crew member who goes over unseen can be far behind before anyone misses them. That's why Crew Guard exists: their phone goes silent, and 30 seconds later every phone aboard sounds. How the man overboard alarm works.