Man overboard

While preparing for the Australian and British Three Peaks races, Team Whistler practiced man overboard drills. Jory Linscott tells how he "took one for the team".

The fear of falling off the boat is probably the biggest worry, not only for crew members but for their families on shore as well.

On board Team Whistler we not only talked about what to do in a man overboard situation but we completed two full man overboard drills in the lead up to the 2009 Maria Island Race, Tasmanian Offshore Championships and the Australian and British Three Peaks races.

After a few hours of training on the River Derwent one evening after work, I made the decision to “fall” overboard. We had the race crew on the boat in full race gear, including harnesses to familiarise ourselves with moving around the boat while clipped on. We were mid-river at about 9pm so it was just getting dark and we had the main and fractional asymmetric spinnaker up, doing about 10-12 knots when I went in.

The first thing you notice is just how cold the water is. It knocks the breath out of you. By the time you have re-surfaced your attention turns to the only thing can save you, The Boat!

Where is it? The boat travels an amazing distance before you re-surface and you can’t even be sure they know you have fallen off because they are beyond yelling distance.

Life-saving equipment

Don’t forget to inflate your life jacket. The energy used to tread water with all your wet weather gear is immense. And don’t underestimate the value of the crotch strap. It’s not the most flattering piece of equipment but it defiantly serves a purpose when in the water by stopping the inflated life jacket from floating too high around your shoulders.

“OK, why haven’t they turned around? They must have noticed. Yes! They know!”

"The life ring and waterproof light have been thrown into the water. I’ll never be able to swim to them though, but it means they have seen me.

“My waterproof torch. I’ll get that out. If I can keep light on the boat they will be able to see me. Ping, the kite is coming down, not a bad drop I must admit. Wow the boat is a long way away by this point.”

When you think about it, everyone is on the rail when the skipper says 'get the kite off now'. It’s never instant. People have to get into position. Where's the bowman? He’s in the water!

Someone has to work that out and get up front and it all takes time. You are two crew members short now – one in the water and one doing nothing but keeping an eye and pointing to the MOB. Did anyone hit the MOB on the GPS? It’s the start point for a search if you lose sight of the missing crew.

The boat starts to turn, engine is on and the mainsail comes down during the tack and is lashed to the boom. Wow I’m cold! I’m keeping my torch light on the boat. Now, with the sails down, I lose sight of it between the waves. That means there is a time they can’t see me - that's not a good feeling. I try to swim to where the boat is coming from but the cold water flows through the wet weather gear and I’m getting colder. I bring myself back into a ball, holding the torch on the boat.

The boat is now getting closer. I can hear the skipper talking to the crew, clear and concise about what he is doing. No-one else is talking, just the skipper and the ‘pointer’. “Get the retrieval line ready.”

I get the call – they are going to pass to windward of me and circle around, bringing the retrieval line ever closer. Got it! Two crew members pull me in.

I have been in the water maybe 10 minutes and I’m cold and exhausted. I can’t even help pull myself on board. I fall unceremoniously in the cockpit, water flowing out of my gear. I have been saved. Now to get warm and quickly.

What did we learn and what would we do differently? I learnt that, even though I knew we had practiced for a MOB situation and that I would eventually be collected, nothing can prepare you for that first splash in the water and the distance the boat travels before you surface.

The feedback from the crew on the boat was interesting. Without the torch I would have been near impossible to spot. The only thing they could have aimed for was the life ring and light which a) was hard to see because the light was continuously being covered by the water and b) by the time I was collected it was over 100 meters away from me.

As the MOB, I was never sure if they knew where I was in the water and would suggest to all that the spotter holds a torch light on the MOB.

Every boat is different but these are the Team Whistler MOB Rules:

•Most experienced skipper goes on the helm.

•Life ring with 360deg self-igniting light is deployed ASAP.

•Someone must go spotter and never take their eyes or the torch off the MOB.

•Engine started quickly and sails dropped and lashed. Minimal talking – let the skipper and the spotter communicate.

Before the upcoming offshore season, every Whistler crew member will “fall" overboard and each time as a team we will learn something new. What we already know is that every time we practice, the chances of retrieving our mate in a real MOB scenario are greatly improved.