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man overboard
If we have to start the motor for a man overboard recovery is the race over for us? At the safety at sea seminar it was mentioned logging times if we have to give assistance to another boat. Will this allow us a possible time credit for this race?
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I haven't been over all the rules and I haven't made the safety meetings either but it seems unfair to be penalized for (perhaps) saving a life. It would be a good idea to get clarification on that. I bet the competition of whoever has a man overboard wishes against it. It might also be on a per incident basis. Hope it works out for everyone involved.
Not sure if Aisak is an ad-bot or a real person. In any case there is a persistent belief that the race rules are infinitely bendable in the face of danger.
Sometimes, folks, the race is over. If you drain your water and break into your emergency water, the race is over. If you get dismasted and start motoring, the race is over. If you motor to avoid a hurricane, the race is over.
You did the right thing, arguably, but the race is over for you. The committee has allowed redress for motorized rescuers in the past, and the Sailing Instructions may contain further advice on the topic.
Obviously, if you do not finish with all your crew, the race is over, and it is a horrible tragedy. I think everyone on this thread has their priorities right.
I assume that the only time we would start the motor is if we had to go to weather for the rescue. Being that we will be going downwind this will likely be the case. Trying to tack back and forth to someone would be a good way to loose them. I have personally already purchased a waterproof VHF since it was recommended in latitude 38. I was surprised that it was never mentioned at the safety at sea seminar. Lastly, there is no doubt getting a DSQ will be the farthest thing from my mind in a rescue, but I have nightmares about losing someone early in the race.
I've raced to Hawaii 15 times, and on every single race, the pre-race policy set by the skipper was "harnesses always on at night."
And on every one of those races, there has been some problem on the foredeck on some dark night, and crew run up to deal with it without being tehtered. The reality is that, no matter how good your intentions, you will have crew on deck at night in nasty conditions without being attached to the boat.
This is really not so bad in warm water with a good crew, where survival time is reasonably long. The point is that regardless of your harness policy, it's really important to have gear on your body that will make it easy for the boat to find you.
Harnesses are important, but it's at least equally important that everyone keep a personal strobe light, a second waterproof light source, and a whistle attached to their clothing at all times. I'm always amazed to find crew standing night watches wihtout these simple items.
I think the VHF is also an important part of the personal MOB safety system. I want to be able to talk the boat back to me.
For Bermuda race last spring, I went for a hand-held DSC VHF. This combines a GPS with a DSC-VHF transceiver. So if I go oever, all I have to do is press the red button and the DSC distress code goes to all boats within VHF range, along with my GPS position and ID.
I think this is much better than the specialized local radio systems that only alert the boat you fell off from, and also better than the satellite systems that initiate a rescue effort from a thousand miles away. It's the boats within VHF range that are in the best position to fish me out. As DSC radios become more common, this becomes a realiable way to alert everyone within range.
It's cheap, too, compared to other systems.
The downside is that the only handheld DSC/VHF that uses alkaline batteris is a little clunky and doesn't fit in the pocket as well as other non-DSC hand-helds.
There are several good reasons not to start the engine if a crew goes overboard: distraction from the recovery, noise, and the risk of prop injury to the victim. There are, of course good reasons TO start the engine.
Whether or not you'll get tossed out of the race for saving a life, however, probably will not enter anyone's mind at the moment. I can tell you that after the fact, the committee has, rather than applying a DSQ, applied an appropriate time penalty.
Whether to start motor or not depends on the boat and the conditions. On Cayenne, the plan is NOT to start the motor.