For a lot of us, the sailing season is now in full swing and we are knocking off some of the rust from a long winter of not sailing. Most important for all skippers and crews, particularly those who will be sailing offshore, will be to have your man-over-board gear and drills down pat.
That means making sure you have all of the safety gear you need to keep crew on the boat and, in the case of an emergency, the tools and skills you need to get a person in the water back onto the boat.
The Quick-Stop maneuver and a LifeSling have proven to be the most useful ways for making contact with a person in the water and for hauling him back on deck. A block and tackle or handy-billy attached to a halyard has also proven to be the most effective way to lift a sodden and heavy person up to the gunnel.
Yachting Monthly recently ran a quick refresher on simple procedures for retrieving a person from alongside your boat. Read more.
