A man overboard alarm is announced by the officer in charge of the navigational watch when a man falls overboard or when people or life-saving appliances are found at sea.

The most important factor in the preservation of human life is a reduction in the time a person spends in the water.

In the event that a person falling overboard is noticed immediately or a person on the water is detected immediately, the officer in charge of the watch gives the command to the helmsman to switch over to manual control and begins the maneuver, drops the lifebuoy with a light-smoking buoy (thereby fixing the beginning of the maneuver, which facilitates the search), announces the man overboard alarm, organizes surveillance.

Any sailor who is near the navigation bridge can act as an observer. If there are none, surveillance is carried out by the officer in charge of the watch himself, until help arrives, so as not to lose sight of the person on the water (circle or buoy).

If there is only one officer in charge of the watch on the bridge, then the procedure is different: he drops the lifebuoy with a light-smoking buoy, announces the man overboard alarm, and begins the maneuver.

In the event that a person falling overboard is reported with a great delay, the officer in charge of the watch shall report this to the captain and act on his instructions.

If a life-saving craft or a distress signal is found on the water in the dark, the officer in charge of the watch organizes observation and maneuvers so as not to lose sight of them, announces a man-overboard alarm and, if necessary, throws out a lifebuoy with a light-smoking buoy to fix the place.

When choosing the initial maneuver to return to the point of fall (finding) of a person, the OO is guided by the weather conditions, visibility from the vessel, and the possibility of stopping for lowering the boat.

You shouldn't have thrown poop away from a dropped person, as previously recommended. With modern ship speeds and inertia, such actions are useless.

Having climbed onto the bridge, the captain gives instructions on which boat to prepare for launching.

When a man overboard alarm is declared, the engineer officer uses the drop in turnover speed to reduce the RPM to bring the boat to a faster stop at the end of the maneuver.

At the end of the maneuver, approaching a person or life-saving device, stopping the vessel, the captain is in charge of lowering the boat.

The main maneuver for returning to the place of the fall of a person is a turn by 60 degrees, followed by an exit to the counter course (Williams maneuver).

The method has the following advantages:

after entering the counter course, the vessel enters the trail of the vessel, which makes this method independent of the time of detecting a man falling overboard;

the observation sector is limited to small forward angles relative to the course;

a quick loss of speed is provided when the rudder is shifted twice, which makes it easier to lower the boat at the end of the maneuver.

The disadvantage of this method is the relatively long duration. But this does not matter so much if we compare that the main expenditure of time is spent on launching the boat and on subsequent actions.

At low speed and the possibility of a quick reverse and in other cases, when under specific weather conditions constant observation of a person in the water is provided, it is possible to use a maneuver by turning by 240 ° (Professor Sharnov's maneuver). It should be borne in mind here that the usual composition of the crew will not provide continuous observation during the maneuvering process.

The Williams maneuver scheme is given in the typical maneuvering element table. It is this maneuver that is necessarily practiced in the exercises.

The officer in charge of the watch upon arrival of the observers, according to the alarm schedule, indicates to them the observation sector and the peculiarities of observation. Observation sectors are duplicated whenever possible.

A case report is organized. During daylight hours the flag "OSCAR" is raised on the MCC. At any time of the day, messages are made by radiotelephone indicating the coordinates possible location falling overboard. At the direction of the captain, information about the case may also be transmitted by radiotelegraph.

Other crew members gather at the locations indicated in the emergency schedule, with personal life-saving appliances and appropriate clothing. If necessary, a change or replenishment for the rescue boat is allocated from among them.

In the boat, you must have a first aid kit for providing first aid to the victim, a blanket, a thermos with hot drinks.

Reliable VHF radio communication is provided between the ship and the boat on the established channel.

In the event of a loss of radio communication, the direction of movement of the boat is indicated by visual and audible signals. One sound (one flash of light), signaling with the right hand - instructing the boat to change course to the right. Two beeps (flashes), left hand signaling - instructing the boat to change course to the left. Accordingly, the observation of the signals is organized in the boat.

When the boat with the victim approaches the side of the ship, the following is prepared:

means for lifting victims on board;

ship's infirmary;

help with information from the boat.

After lifting the victims on board or when the search is stopped, a message is organized to all season tickets about the end of the operation.

The actions of the crew of the rescue boat on the man overboard alarm are practiced in accordance with the requirements of the SOLAS-74 Convention.

If a person falls overboard, the one who noticed this must immediately drop the lifebuoy into the water and report to the officer in charge of the watch (“Man overboard on the right!”).

The officer in charge of the watch instructs the helmsman to shift the rudder to the side from which the person fell in order to divert the stern and reduce the possibility of falling into the water under the propeller. At the same time, he drops a lifebuoy with a light-smoking buoy from the wing of the bridge, announces the man overboard alarm, sets up an observer who must continuously monitor the fallen person, using a searchlight in the dark, marks it with a marker on the video plotter. electronic map or on the ARPA screen the position of own vessel, and in the absence of the indicated means, it determines the position of the vessel as accurately as possible. In the table of maneuverable elements, the named actions are expressed by the wording: "Remember: maneuver, circle, alarm, observation!"

Starting the maneuver to exit the ship to the place where the man fell overboard, the officer in charge reports the incident to the captain and informs the engineer of the watch, notifies nearby ships via VHF, raises the OSCAR flag via MSS. the ship's whistle sounds three long blasts, which is necessary not only to warn nearby ships, but also to notify a person who has fallen overboard. that he will be helped. During maneuvering, you can repeat this sound signal.

If an eyewitness reported a person falling overboard and measures are taken with some delay, the Williamson Pivot maneuver (coordinate method) is recommended. The steering wheel is shifted to the side; after deviating from the original course by 60 °, put the rudder on the opposite side; before reaching 20 ° before the return course, shift the rudder to the "straight" position and lie on the reverse course. In the table of maneuvering elements of the vessel, the elements of the maneuver “man overboard” are given using the coordinate method, taking into account the characteristics of this particular vessel, determined from field observations. Indicated separately for the starboard and port sides, the turn angle from the initial course, the operational time of the rudder shifting to the opposite side (in minutes and seconds) and arrival at the starting point of the maneuver.

Williamson's turn takes more time to complete than a simple turn, and temporarily takes the ship further from the place where the man fell overboard, but most accurately returns the ship to that place and in its wake. When the boat reaches the start point, the speed must be reduced so that the boat can stop quickly.

In a situation. when the fact of a person falling overboard was not observed, but the disappearance of a person on board was detected, the Skarnow turn is used (in another transcription - Sharnov's turn). The rudder is also shifted to the "on board" position; after deviating from the original course by 240 °, the rudder must be shifted to the opposite side. Before reaching 20 ° before the return course, shift the rudder to the “straight ahead” position so that the boat will then lay down on the return course.

The Skarnow turn allows the boat to return to its wake faster than the Williamson turn, but once the turn is complete, the maneuver start point will be approximately one hull aft.

While the turn is being made, the rescue boat is being prepared for launching; to receive a person who has fallen into the water directly on board the vessel, it is necessary to prepare lifebuoys with lines, storm ladders, cargo nets. Dedicated crew members in immersion suits and life jackets (if the suit provides for their use) and with life lines should be ready to go down into the water to assist the man overboard.

When approaching the place of the fall of a person, it is necessary to extinguish the inertia of the vessel and lower the rescue boat into the water. If it is possible to lift the victim directly aboard the ship, you need to cover the ship's hull from the wind and excitement of the victim and people who will enter the water to help him.

In cases where visual observation of a person who fell overboard is lost, especially in conditions of limited visibility, the exit to the point of falling overboard is carried out, guided by the mark on the video plotter, electronic map or on the ARPA screen. This point is taken as the starting point for the search.

This means that as a captain, you have foreseen everything, properly organized the crew, ensured that everyone observes safety requirements without reminders. This means that your sailing and racing comrades do not neglect the insurance, relying entirely on dexterity, "sea legs" or, worst of all, at random: they will carry you through, they say.

Practice knows many examples with an irreparable outcome. Often, not beginners, whose courage and imprudence stem from ignorance of the sea, find themselves overboard. This also happens to those experienced people who are accustomed to taking risks, whose daring is infinite. In the days of the sailing fleet, crews often lost the best mars, who worked on yards with the dexterity of acrobats, without thinking about the danger. Descriptions of such losses are given, for example, in the books of O. Kotsebue, who commanded the Rurik brig. In the recently translated into Russian book by the English yachtsman K. A. Kols "Sailing in a Storm", it is told about accidents during races and long-distance yacht crossings.

The sea is ruthless. It does not forgive mistakes, carelessness, self-confidence. It requires from a person those obligatory qualities that determine the ability to navigate a ship. Most of them are developed by relentless training and "well-being" acquired in a wide variety of sailing conditions.

The classroom examinations are considered to be a test of the yachtsmen's qualifications. Their practical part also includes maneuvering to approach the "man overboard" for rescue. The more principled and stricter the examiners are, the more difficult it is to pass this seemingly simple exam, for which young yachtsmen prepare not in training, but sometimes purely theoretically: at lectures, from textbooks. They do not take into account that only competent and confident control of the ship in such circumstances ensures the clarity of the maneuver on which a person's life depends.

More often than not, excessive self-confidence leads to serious consequences for beginners in the sail. Several years ago, five sailing enthusiasts decided in the evening to leave Pri-Ozersk for Ladoga on an Assol-type yacht. They did not take into account the obvious signs of worsening weather, did not listen to yachtsmen from other yachts, who advised them to wait for dawn in the harbor. And soon the yacht was found almost undamaged, thrown on Sandy shore... In the cabin there was only one crew member, exhausted by worries and fears, who could neither swim nor work with sails. He told how a strong wave knocked overboard one of his comrades. Another crew member jumped into the icy water, hoping to save him. Soon, both began to sink. Two more rushed overboard to help them ... All four drowned.

What happened? Apparently, the night storm forced the inexperienced crew to return to the same harbor, which he left very recklessly. It was unlikely that they were counting on the yacht, they knew where the stitches were, they remembered the sailing instructions for entering Priozersk. Obviously, the yacht ran into the coastal stall wing and turned lagged to the wave. There were no storm rails on the ship, the would-be yachtsmen simply did not use safety lines and life bibs ...

Many yachtsmen of the older generations studied the theory according to the book by N. Yu. Ludevig “ Sailing”, Published in 1931. The chapter“ Man overboard ”of this manual is considered a textbook. Ludewig, however, offers advice that is unlikely to be followed in most situations. He invites a good swimmer to jump overboard immediately and support the fallen one until the yacht approaches. Of course, the example of the death of yachtsmen at Priozersk is not enough to reject the proposal. But there are many other motives against such a recommendation.

The crew, if it is small in number, when maneuvering in order to search and rescue the fallen one, is deprived of the necessary pair of working hands and by no means a superfluous observer. In case of a delay in returning to the area of ​​the fall of a person, you can lose not only the rescued person, but also the rescuer (hypothermia, convulsion, sharks ...). A long line, which can be used to tie the lifeguard before going overboard, will not insure against trouble, because the yacht must have freedom of maneuver. The rescuer, being carried behind the yacht by the safety end, will turn into a kind of floating anchor and become a hindrance.

Everyone on a boat must be able to swim. If the fallen person is confidently staying on the water and swims to the lifebuoy, everything will end happily for him. Especially if he's wearing a life jacket. Therefore, only the captain decides whether to send a swimmer to help. The risk must be justified and the rescuer must have confidence in being able to help the drowning person.

We take almost the first solid domestic edition - "A Guide for Sailing Amateurs" by GV Ash, published in 1В95. If a person falls overboard, the author advises, after turning, to go out to the wind of the rescued person and go into a drift. Considering the large size and maneuverability of most of the yachts of that time and borrowing from the tactics of managing large military and merchant sailing ships, it must be admitted that sensible advice was given to amateurs.

The crews of small yachts adhered to the same tactics. Drift was considered preferable to approaching a steep sidewind with etched sails. Naturally, in this case, a person had to be lifted out of the water onto the deck from the leeward side.

In 1950, the publishing house "Fizkultura i Sport" "published a manual by NV Grigoriev, D. N. Korovelsky and G. L. Frenkel" Sailing sport ". The chapter "Man overboard" ", although it contains a lot useful information, but somewhat chaotic. At the beginning, it is stated that on any course and in any wind (although in a storm it is dangerous, especially for dinghies), when a person falls overboard, it is necessary to make a turn to return to the fallen one. However, a paragraph is followed by a description of the overtag approach.

There is also quite a lot of talk about lifebuoys. Should they be fastened or not? If you fix it, then how, in what places? It would be simpler and more correct, apparently, to propose the following: lifebuoys (on large yachts there should be at least two of them) should be kept constantly at the helmsman's hand in standard basket-nests, from which they are removed instantly, since they are not secured by anything.

Another textbook - "School of the yacht helmsman" edited by E.P. Leontyev was published by the publishing house "Fizkultura and Sport" in 1974. It is recommended to approach a man overboard in leventik, using the yacht's inertia, with the expectation of stopping near the rescued person in the same way as when approaching a mooring barrel. Earlier it was said that on a dinghy, a person is lifted only from the windward side or from the stern, so that the ship does not capsize. Right! But which side is considered to be windward in the leventic position? Yes, and sailing dinghies are different. The cruising sailing dinghy will also accept a person from leeward side.

And, finally, the manual "School of the yacht captain" (Moscow, publishing house "Physical culture and sport", 1983). In this book, the chapter "Man Overboard" "is the most successful. But there is one omission. The book was being prepared for publication when our yacht clubs already had many sailing and motor yachts, but nothing was said about using engines to rescue those who fell overboard. Of course, the sailor must rely on the sails for everything. However, any reasonable means is good for saving a person. And the engine that starts in a matter of seconds is not the least of them! It is better to float the bearings of a diesel engine running on the propeller without warming up than to lose a man. Maneuvering under the engine is not only advisable, but also necessary in a confined water area, on a current, with low wind on a heavy yacht.

Not all Russian textbooks are mentioned here. But yachtsmen preparing to become helmsmen should take into account the shortcomings in their maintenance. Having at its disposal one or two books published in different years, it is not difficult to make mistakes, fix dubious recommendations in memory and transfer them to practice.

Our manuals sometimes include descriptions of tragedies along with the depiction of maneuvering schemes. But you will not find examples with a successful outcome in them, although such examples are especially needed. They inspire confidence, help to understand the meaning of textbook recommendations, perhaps the only correct ones in teaching and when passing qualifying exams.

Examples also convince that the choice of tactics of maneuvering sometimes is determined by the situation... After all, the weather, and the peculiarities of the sailing area, time of day, visibility, type of yacht, the number of people on board, the number of people who fell overboard and many other details dictate the choice of one or another decision.

In addition, in any situation it is important keep cool... This quality, as well as quick reaction, clarity of commands and actions can ensure success.

Here's one example.

Five years ago, a large, heavy yacht sailed at night on the open sea on the starboard gulfwind course. A wind of about three points has not yet knocked down the old swell left by a calmed storm with a wind of a different direction. This gave the excitement, and therefore the pitching, a complex character. The captain was asleep. The watch decided to add sails and called the mate to replace one of the staysails. He was wearing a waterproof suit over warm clothing, without a life bib and safety end.

Joining the work, the assistant stood on the fabric of the sail lying on the deck. The yacht swung into the wind, and he slipped. was instantly overboard. Falling, I got caught between the side rails and hurt myself badly. In his hands was the root end of one of the halyards, but the yacht's thrust was so great that the end was ripped out of his hands.

Simultaneously with the splash from a man falling into the water, the helmsman shouted loudly: "Man overboard!" The captain immediately climbed onto the deck and stood on the helm, instructing the sailor, who had thrown the circle, to watch the fallen one. But he, like, indeed, all the other crew members, raised by alarm, no longer saw the fallen one. No screams were heard either. The fire on the buoy of the circle did not turn on.

In preparation for the turn, they quickly gave up the main boom guy, fixed on the board instead of the block-hoists. But they forgot that one of the two jibs - the inner one - works with a temporary single sheet. When making a turn, the fordewind staysail with a single sheet became "uncontrollable". It had to be removed, which distracted people from observing the sea, prevented the yacht from being able to return to the one that had fallen overboard.

About two minutes have passed since the fall. In the gaps of the swell, it was not possible to discern the person. But then the observer sailor shouted, pointing upwind with his hand: he is there! Everyone saw the fallen one. The mate was kept on a lifebuoy upwind of the yacht at an angle of 30-40 ° ahead of the traverse.

It was clear that it was impossible to approach a person without a new turn. But it was dangerous to make overstag turns. Gathering speed after turning, the yacht could pile on the rescued side or hit with the bow with a strong pitching swing.

Without allowing the turn, the captain ordered to squander the sheets. He decided to take the yacht out by inertia as close as possible to the rescued one. When it was four or five meters away, several ends were thrown from the deck. The rescued grabbed one of them and after a few seconds, in four pairs of hands, was pulled at the windward side shrouds onto the deck along with the life buoy.

What did the saved person tell? He did not immediately feel the pain of hitting the rail. From the water to the surface he was torn by a halyard, which immediately had to be released due to the irresistible force of traction. He saw a circle about fifteen meters from him, and behind him - the sails of the departing yacht. The wet clothes were already pulling down. He swam to the circle, but he was quickly blown away by the wind. It seemed no longer to catch up. I rolled over onto my back and decided to catch my breath a little. The thought came to undress. Not! While you are fiddling with your clothes, the circle will take you even further. He swam, the Circle caught up at the end of his strength and fell on him with his chest.

He found it useless to scream, even as the sail of the returning yacht flashed over the wave with a black fin. The whistle was in the pocket of the bib, which had been left in the cabin.

Of course, having plotted the yacht's maneuvering scheme on paper, it is not difficult to prove deviations from the textbook rules in actions in this rescue operation, which took about four minutes. However, the result is more important than pedantic adherence to the letter of the rules. The captain could not know (how long the rescued person would hold out on the circle, was he conscious. The feeling of the ship, the knowledge of its inertial qualities, the eye gauge helped. the circle that kept the person on the surface.

However, we have not remembered here the milestone, which is to mark the point of fall. There was a milestone on board, but the crew did not use it. And, presumably, this was an oversight, since the milestone both night and day helps the search.

In general, it is worth talking separately about the use of lifebuoys with and without buoys, with lines attached to them and without lines, about milestones connected by a line with circles and other things that are prescribed by existing rules. Rules are rules. But there is a lot of controversy in them. One can doubt that the shape of the circle, its weight and even the density of the material from which it is made are far from optimal. An easy circle with a strong wind cannot be thrown far, but on the water it drifts quickly. A heavy circle made of dense material is also dangerous. However, any circle should be thrown to a drowning man skillfully and carefully.

Recently, a Polish yachtsman died on the Baltic Sea. His fall overboard happened in front of his comrades. The lifebuoy was thrown to him immediately. But he hit the head of a yachtsman who emerged from the water and knocked off his glasses. Fallen myopia. Without glasses, he could not find a circle in the water that swam one and a half to two meters from him. Cold water autumn sea closed over the fallen overboard before they could lend a helping hand.

Concluding this conversation, I again want to remind you of insurance. It is mandatory when the captain sends a man overboard to inspect the underwater hull, rudder or propeller. It is necessary when removing a yacht from aground on a fast river, when taking it aground in the area of ​​strong sea tidal currents. One who has fallen overboard into the "running" water from a stationary yacht will quickly be carried away even on a life buoy. And only a reliable safety line will save his life.

In a word, at sea, caution is no less important than the ability to maneuver when approaching a person overboard. It is more reliable than the best and tested rescue equipment.

22/10/2016

A sailor is called a man only once, and then - when he is overboard ..

One of the most dangerous situations a person can get into on a ship is be overboard... Frankly, the chances of survival are not so many: here you have hypothermia, drowning due to panic and loss of strength, sea predators, and inadequate rescue measures can only increase the suffering of the martyr. Moreover, further development the topics in this article will focus exclusively on the situation when a man fell overboard was spotted by other crew members... Actions in the event of a person missing some time ago were called, and this is a completely different story ..

So, the role of the navigator in the situation "Man overboard" key, and will be primarily considered in court. Life depends on how correct the actions of the officer of the watch on the bridge were.

Once on the bridge of a new ship for yourself, try to answer some questions:

Where is the steering control panel from automatic to manual?

How is the MOB function activated on ECDIS or GPS?

What are your responsibilities for a MAN OVER BOARD alarm?

What are the responsibilities of other crew members for this alarm?

In nautical textbooks or the Internet, you can find many "unique maneuvers" described in order to give the opportunity to go down in history to various Andersons, Katzmans, Ivanovs. Actually, main maneuvers - two... And their choice depends solely on how rapidly events are developing, what speed your vessel has, the state of the sea, what distance has been traveled since the fall of a person, how much "room" you have for maneuvering, how much your experience allows you to competently and accurately perform this maneuver. Ilyich's maneuvers, turns of the Chicago police and so on - all this is called SHIP CONTROL. Again, the most important action of the navigator of the watch is detect the position and time of falling into the water... Focus on honing sequence execution, and not on the number of different maneuvers. Don't waste your time!

Immediate action! The officer in charge of the watch received a signal that a sailor fell into the water from the starboard side!

To act as planned in an emergency, print and hang a small one.

ATTENTION! The maneuver is made towards the side from which the person fell!

E If time for immediate response is missed, the ship has passed some distance, and a sharp drop in speed is not needed, it will help to quickly get into the wake Sharnov's turn.

1) Steering wheel on board. 2) Change of course by 240 degrees. 3) Steering wheel on board in the opposite direction. 4) 20 degrees to return course. 5) The steering wheel is straight. Obsession and exit on the opposite course.

The disadvantage of this maneuver: a large circulation radius.

Before attempting a particular maneuver, evaluate
navigational environment... To the extent that the location of other vessels around you allows circulation... Check for shoals, cans, navigational hazards. You should not rush to blindly follow the instructions just because it is written in the textbooks. Each scenario is unique and evolves as the play progresses. Saving Private Ryan by sinking a nearby gas carrier is not the best of them all.

Man overboard!

Falling overboard always emergency wherever it happens - on an ocean liner or on a small sports yacht. Such an emergency happens either in severe stormy weather, when a person can be washed off the deck by a wave or thrown into the water with an unexpectedly strong roll, or under normal conditions due to his own negligence.

To protect yachtsmen from falling overboard, on modern cruising and racing yachts, railings are installed along the sides from bow to stern and strong rails at the bow and stern. On yachts that do not have standard rails and rails, in bad weather it is necessary to start temporary storm rails from a strong cable that can withstand the weight of a person. In addition, boaters working on deck in fresh weather must always use safety harnesses (fig. 133) with ends attached to some solid object on the deck (duck, mast, rail, etc.). This is usually sufficient, but falling overboard cannot be completely ruled out.

To assist a person who has fallen overboard, yachts are equipped with various life-saving appliances, which every yachtsman or passenger must be able to use correctly.

On the other hand, the yacht helmsman (captain) must be able to quickly and competently perform the maneuver necessary in order to possibly quickly lift a person who is overboard.

The main personal life-saving appliances on a yacht are the inflatable lifejacket, cork bib and lifebuoy. A vest or cork bib is always worn when operating in hazardous conditions, in particular during races, as if dropped overboard, they provide an opportunity to hold out on the water until help arrives.

The lifebuoy should always be in a certain place on the deck of the yacht so that any member of the crew can immediately throw him overboard.

As life-saving appliances, a dinghy and an inflatable raft, if available on the yacht, can and should be used, if necessary.

The first to see a man overboard must shout loudly "Man overboard!" warn the helmsman (captain) of the yacht and the crew about the incident, and carefully, without being distracted, watch the fallen one, all the time showing the direction to him with his hand. The crew member who was at that moment closest to the lifebuoy immediately, without waiting for a special command, throws it into the water from the side from which the person fell, or into the wake. Further actions depend on the situation.

Rice. 134. Approach to the fallen overboard on the course beydewind and steep backstay: A - with a turn through the fordewind; B- with turning overstag

A man-overboard fall is possible on all courses relative to the wind. In any case, it is necessary to approach the fallen one as quickly as possible, without unnecessary turns and always take a beydewind course. In this case, the speed of the yacht is regulated by the sails in such a way as to lose speed and stop near the rescued from the leeward.

If a person falls on a beydewind course, the helmsman must immediately turn through the beydewind and immediately be brought into a beydewind heading towards

To the fallen one (Fig. 134, A). When falling on the course of a gulfwind or a steep backstay, given the relatively high speed of the yacht, the turn through the fordewind must be done, having covered a distance of 2-3 hulls of the yacht (see Fig. 134, L).

V strong wind in order not to risk the sails and the mast, on the same courses relative to the wind, you need to go a distance of 3-4 hulls of the yacht and also turn the overstag (Fig. 134.5).

When a person falls on a full backstag or fordewind, instead of turning through the fordewind, the helmsman makes an overstag turn, after which he performs an approach maneuver (see Fig. 135, L).

In the dark or in poor visibility, when it is easy to lose sight of a fallen person, and when calculating the tack for the approach to him, it is impossible to estimate the distance traveled by eye, you always need to fall off or come to the gulfwind course without changing the tack and, noticing the course along compass, walk them for 10-15 s under a loud reading of one of the crew members. Then make a turn to the opposite course and return to the place of the fall in the same period of time (Fig. 135.5). When approaching the crash site, it is necessary to strengthen observation on both sides. The search is greatly facilitated if the circle thrown to the fallen person is equipped with a luminous buoy, whistle or signal lamp.

Rice. 135. Approach to the fallen overboard: A - full backstay on the courses, B - search in conditions of poor visibility

It is necessary to lift a person out of the water onto a keel yacht from a low, that is, from the leeward side, near the shrouds or backstays, to which both the rescued person and the people who provide assistance can hold on. On a high-board yacht, when approaching the rescued, two or three strong ends are thrown overboard, securely fixed on the deck, the best of all are mooring lines (with a fire in the water), which he could grab onto, and a storm ladder.

A person is lifted onto a sailing dinghy from the water only from the windward side or from the stern so that the vessel cannot capsize.

The approach to the rescued person, even with well-developed maneuvering and a well-coordinated crew, may turn out to be unsuccessful: the yacht can either slip past, or, in excitement, be stopped or knocked off course by the oncoming wave and will not reach the victim. In any case, the repetition of the maneuver is extra minutes that increase the danger of losing a person. Therefore, when approaching, it is necessary to provide for other rescue measures. If the crew has a good swimmer who is able to help a drowning man, then during the maneuver he must undress and, armed with a second circle or a life jacket, rush to the victim as soon as the yacht approaches him. You also need to have a long and strong enough end ready with some small buoyancy tied to it, so that throw it in the direction of the rescued and to the windward of it. Ace, if not in tow, must also be ready for immediate launch.

Dinghies and small keel yachts with little inertia can be recommended to approach a down-hauled course that has fallen in weak and medium winds, adjusting the sail.

When preparing for swimming or racing, you should always remember that:

Preventing a person from falling overboard is easier than saving him;

A yacht sailing at a three-knot speed travels about 100 meters per minute;

Calmness and restraint of the crew during the maneuver "Man overboard!" - the key to its successful implementation; panic and confusion on deck are unacceptable.

An example of what a disregard for good maritime practice can turn out to be in the case of an L-6 yacht in Gulf of Finland in 1966

Despite clear signs of worsening weather, the yacht's captain decided to go to sea. At 22.30, with a wind of about six points from the north-west, with a mainsail of two reefs and a rail staysail, the yacht left the harbor. A few hours later, the wind reached a force of nine to ten points. With a fair wind

The yacht "prowled heavily. About 6 hours, when the captain and the helmsman were in the cockpit, the yacht, yawing hard to the right, got to the deck big wave, which the captain was knocked down, and the helmsman was washed overboard.

On the alarm "Man overboard!" the captain turned through the fordewind. When the yacht got to the wind, the head sails broke along the luff, and then the jib halyard also burst. Before reaching the fallen about 50 m, when it was pointless to throw a circle, the yacht turned on the starboard tack and began to drift in the wind while the crew tried to place another staysail. After 7-10 minutes, the one who fell overboard was lost from sight.

From the yacht, in order to stay in the area of ​​the fall, a bucket was thrown overboard (instead of a floating anchor) and, a little later, a tuzik. After 12 hours of drift, when the wind died down to five or six points and all hope of finding and rescuing a man was completely lost, the yacht went to the harbor on one of the islands, where the captain immediately reported what had happened. Organized searches were unsuccessful.

An analysis of this case shows that the yacht's captain committed at least six gross violations of the rules of good maritime practice:

1) undertook an unreasonable departure to the sea in the late evening in bad weather and with clear signs of its deterioration; it was necessary to wait for the morning;

2) did not use the trisail and the storm staysail in stormy weather, although they were on the yacht;

3) did not take measures against the yacht's strong yaw; it was necessary to use a floating anchor or bleed the long ends at the stern;

4) all the time there was a clean forewind course, on which the rack staysail was often thrown from side to side, as a result of which it broke and the staysail halyard burst. It was necessary to sail the course full backstay so that the yacht behaved more calmly and the staysail worked on the same tack; it would be even better to go under the usual staysail, with sheets on both sides;

5) did not require the crew to use safety ends;

6) the lifebuoy was not on the deck, but in the cabin.

Even one of the above violations would have been enough to create an emergency on the yacht, and all together they led to the death of a person.