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DrogueOne said..
Now, 20 years later, I'm thinking perhaps drop sails engine on is a lower risk strategy. Interested in other's MOB strategy and if you ever practice?
Hiya Drogue,
My MOB Strategy.
Scene: you are working to windward with jib and main, it's fresh to frightening and the MOB goes over.
-dan buoy goes over. One crew stays as the spotter.
crash tack the boat. The jib doesn't get touched but ease the main. The jib is on the wrong side and the main is not drawing which helps turn the boat dw quickly.
- start your circle back dw.
- quick check for ropes over the side, start engine.
- your're now passing mob heading dw halfway round the circle.
- gybe the boat. You only need to sort the main, the jib hasn't been touched.
- you should now be on a close hauled course to mob, aiming to retrieve them to leeward.
- depower the sailplan, you're under motor.
- crewmember is at the leeward shrouds with a long rope half-halfed in a loop. Drop the loop over the mob. You should be dead stopped by now.
- crewmember walks them back to the transom if you have a high freeboard.
I don't have a rescue sling , if I did I'd still do the same manouever, the difference would be if we screwed up getting a loop over them in the retrieval, the MOB could grab it and then you can haul them in.
A big part of our MOB training was making sure all the crew knew how to toss a neat loop around the MOB. Everyone gets it after a few goes, and it's one of those things that once you've done it a few times it becomes easy.
I agree 100% with engine on. I keep thinking I would look pretty stupid in front of a coroners court trying to explain why we didn't use the perfectly good engine and the poor sod in the water drowned.
Cheers!