Mob

[Hightower]

I was studying MOB procedures today and wondered how common this was.

So who's lost Crew over the side? And more importantly how did the recovery go?

[codprawn]

I find a boathook works wonders. I have recovered a few people when acting as safety boat and I find that it is much safer to stand off a few feet and let them grab the boathook. Pulling them in is easy of they can assist. Fortunately I have never had to recover a real casualty. Apparently a mesh type netting like the orange security fence stuff makes life a lot easier.

[Jimmy_Beam]

Well, it's not in the same context as what your looking for, but it has happened to me lots.

Albiet in rivers. I have flipped many a rubber boat and lost many passengers in cold heavy water. It goes a lot like this.
First: Oh Shit!
Second: Cut power or turn around to get close, then cut power.
Third: Hand then the end of a paddle or throw a rescue bag to get them close to the boat.
Fourth: Grab the lappels of the lifejacket and pull like hell. If they are wearing lifejackets not designed for pulling a person in, or not wearing them at all, cut the engines and let them use the cavitation plates as a step for climbing aboard.
Fifth: Determine thier state of awareness and if you need to get medical attention or just a cup of coffee and some sever mocking to get their blood going.

The only time I have lost an individual overboard in the ocean was in my SIB in fairly large swells. One minute the dog was sleeping on the tube, the next minute she was swimming. (And very confused). All I heard was a sploosh! I looked around and saw that I still had all of the people on board, but no dog. When I asked where the dog went, a smiling, laughing passenger pointed and said over there. So, I motored over to the dog, she swam along side, and I grabbed her scruff and pulled her in. Probably not the gibberish your after, but I felt like rambling.

Jimmy

[Hightower]

Originally Posted by codprawn

I find a boathook works wonders. I have recovered a few people when acting as safety boat and I find that it is much safer to stand off a few feet and let them grab the boathook. Pulling them in is easy of they can assist. Fortunately I have never had to recover a real casualty. Apparently a mesh type netting like the orange security fence stuff makes life a lot easier.

Did you cut the engine before recovery started?

[codprawn]

No - but in neutral - when you have some very nasty rocks close by it's not a good idea. Hence the reason for standing off a bit and not getting too close. If anyone was making for the stern the kill cord whould have been yanked smartly.

It also help a lot to have good crew on board so you can just control the boat and not be bothered by other things.

[Hightower]

I was just curious as to whether anyone practises MOB procedure with real people. I know RNLI and other rescue services do. Perhaps next year a group of us could get together and practice before going to the Pub .

[Polwart]

never lost crew from my 'RIB' overboard. Have done it in "anger" from sailing dinghy on more than one occasion and that makes doing it in a rib seem dead easy.

Have also recovered sailing dinghy MOBs etc. from a RIB. Those arose through "unexpected" gibes or more often crew stupidity/larking about.

Did you cut the engine before recovery started?

Yes. Although I accept that under certain circumstances this may not be advisable.

[Hightower]

I rendered assistance to a small sailing dingy once, but that was more to right it than to recover crew.

[Polwart]

Originally Posted by Hightower

I was just curious as to whether anyone practises MOB procedure with real people. I know RNLI and other rescue services do. Perhaps next year a group of us could get together and practice before going to the Pub .

I think the advantage of real people is that half the battle is getting them back on board. I suggest you don't PRACTICE with a real person unless you can consistently pick up a bouy without actually touching it with the boat. A rib hull is blood hard even at relatively low speed. I'm surprised that the RNLI haven't been forced by obsessive Health and Safety people to use dummies instead.

[Hightower]

It is surprising how sometimes it's difficult to position your boat to acually pick things out the water by ones self, particularly in tricky conditions. I've tried it on footballs, bouys and base ball caps. You think you're there and by the time your kill cord is removed and you've clambered to the side it's too late.