Common Mistakes While Performing The Figure Eight Man Over Board Procedure

This article depicts common boat handling errors made when performing the figure eight adult male over board electric drill while sailing. The information in this article arises from the experiences instruction the figure eight adult male over board electric electric electric drill at Carnival Wind Seafaring School where the drill is performed stopping point to a thousand modern times per year.

Figure 8 Man Over Board Procedure -- Overview

The Figure 8 Man Over Board (MOB) Drill is often the first adult male over board drill taught to new crewmen since it can be accomplished without performing a potentially unsafe gybe. To properly execute the drill, the steersman quickly places the seafaring trade onto a radio beam range and comes on across the wind and away from the adult male over board far adequate to let manoeuvrability of the vessel. The distance required to derive manoeuvrability changes by type of boat, but is typically 4-6 boat lengths.

Next, the boat is tacked back toward the mob and then steered onto a wide reach. The aim of the wide range is to acquire downwind of the adult male in the water, a critical requirement to returning the adult male over board. Once the vas have progressed a sufficient distance to let the victim to be approached on a stopping point reach, the vas is turned to that point of canvas and the adult male over board is approached. Finally, the vas is coasted to a halt next to and to windward of the adult male in the water. Note that a seafaring vas can typically only be stopped while heading upwind, hence the importance of first placement the vas downwind of the adult male over board prior to making the concluding approach.

Common Mistake One -- Seafaring Too Far Upwind

Our experience shows that three cardinal errors are made during the drill. The first error is that most helmsmen make not acquire the boat to a radio beam range and go on seafaring upwind of the victim. Reasons for this include the confusion and anxiousness of first acquisition about the adult male over board, deficiency of focusing on point of canvas and, on occasion, panic. The error come ups in two common forms. First, not turning on to a radio beam range immediately, but waiting until the boat have traveled respective lengths upwind before turning. Second, turning the boat, but not turning far adequate away from the wind to acquire all the wind to a radio beam reach. Rather, continuing to canvas on a stopping point reach.

The impact of this mistake is threefold. First, since the victim can only be picked up with the vas downwind of the victim and moving upwind, the additional the boat travels upwind of the victim the more than distance it must go to acquire downwind. This do the manoeuvre longer and maintains the victim in the H2O longer. The 2nd issue is that the additional the boat moves away from the adult male in the water, the more than hard it is to justice the points of canvas and necessary boat manoeuvres to effectively acquire back to the victim. This is especially true for new sailors. Finally, the additional the vas moves away from the victim, the more than hard it can be to see the victim in the water.

Common Mistake Two -- Failing To Get Downwind of The Victim

The adjacent common mistake happens after the tack procedure. After completing the tack and turning back toward the victim in the water, there is a strong desire to canvas directly to the individual in the H2O -- after all you can't acquire person back on board until you acquire to them. This, however, is not the best course of study of action. Seafaring directly to the individual from this place intends the boat will near the victim on a radio beam range -- the fastest point of canvas for most boats. Since it is nearly impossible to halt the boat on a radio beam range and the boat will be moving far to fast to do contact with the adult male over board and draw him or her on board, this technique will not be of much help.

After completing the tack, the end is to acquire the vas downwind of the adult male over board. This agency heading on a wide range below (i.e. downwind) the adult male over board and not directly at the MOB. The intent of this technique is to steer the boat downwind so it can eventually do an upwind attack to the victim. To review, while there is a strong desire to head directly toward the adult male over board after completing the tack, heading to the mob at this point have got the boat arriving too fast to halt and too fast to retrieve the adult male over board. The proper course of study of study of action is to avoid that inherent aptitude and caput the boat down wind of the adult male over board.

Common Mistake Three -- Approaching on a Stopping Point Hauled Course

A 3rd common mistake is to go back to the victim upwind, but on a stopping point hauled course rather than a stopping point reach. The issue with returning on a stopping point hauled course of study is one of flexibleness and safety. If the wind is steady, victim stationary and the course of study perfectly called, it is possible to finish the manoeuvre successfully fold hauled. However, with a little displacement in the wind, impetus of the adult male over board or mistake in calling the course of study line, returning stopping point hauled tallies the hazard of stalling the boat since it is impossible to turn the boat closer to the wind without stalling flowing over the sails. Thus, your options are limited manoeuvrability diminished. The preferable point of canvas to near is to go back on a stopping point range that lets the steersman guidance ability in either way while still moving upwind to decelerate the boat speed.

Summary

The Figure Eight mob is a safe and effectual agency of recovering a adult male over board under sail. Park mistakes happen with executing radio beam reach, wide range and stopping point range procedures, however these tin be avoided with concentration and focus.