274 seamanship secrets
TIME: ENEMY #1 IN AN OVERBOARD EMERGENCY
Always assume the following three conditions for any person who falls into the
water—even if you suspect otherwise:
Injured. Th e victim might have sustained an injury when he fell over the side.
Contact with lifelines, stanchions, toerails, or the hull result in lacerations,
broken bones, or a concussion. Th is leads to, or adds to, the seriousness of the
next two factors.
Unconscious. Unless you hear the victim’s shouts, you won’t know his state
of consciousness. Without a life jacket, an unconscious victim will drown.
Automatic, infl atable life jackets must fully infl ate to roll a person from a face-
down to a face-up position.
Hypothermic. Hypothermia, the cooling of the body below its normal temperature
of 98.6°F (37°C), causes loss of motor skills. Even in Key West, Florida, water
temperatures during late fall and winter average around 70°F (21°C) to 75°F
(24°C). Within 5 minutes, a victim may lose the ability to grasp any fl otation
device thrown to him or her (see “Signs of Hypothermia and Cold-Water Shock”
later in this chapter).
CREW OVERBOARD APPROACH METHODS
No approach method works every time for every vessel. Choose your approach
based on crew number and ability, wind and wave conditions, and vessel
handling characteristics.
Power Vessel Approach
- Turn the wheel toward the victim (to kick the stern away).
- Th row fl otation (life jacket, life ring, cushion, fender); assign crew to
maintain continuous visual contact with the man overboard. - Slow the boat to a crawl (bare steerageway) when you are halfway through
the turn and spot the person abeam; use just enough power for control. - Stop near the victim. Tie a large bowline in one end of a line and heave that
to the person. Pull him or her alongside and tie off the line. If the person is
In a powerboat, approach an overboard
crewmember by turning the wheel toward him.