Module 4 - Safety
Crew Overboard Recovery
What you will learn
Command a parallel alarm, location, boat-control and recovery response, then lift an incapacitated casualty with a practiced yacht-specific system.
The first response must prevent the casualty being lost while the yacht comes under control. The manoeuvre is only one part of the problem; the crew must still approach safely, stop propeller risk and lift the person aboard.
Shout the alarm immediately, deploy buoyancy and a visible marker, and appoint one person to maintain continuous visual contact. Mark the electronic position when available, but do not let the button press delay flotation or the helm response. The casualty moves while the yacht moves; a stored coordinate is evidence, not the person.
The skipper controls speed and separation while assigning communications and preparing the recovery side. Use a manoeuvre practiced for the yacht, propulsion, sail plan, crew and conditions. An immediate turn or stop may retain contact; a Williamson turn is one recognised return towards a reciprocal track after visual contact is lost. No named manoeuvre guarantees that the yacht will return alongside the casualty.
Plan the final approach so the yacht does not drift or surge onto the casualty. Keep the propeller clear and use neutral or stop the engine when appropriate to the practiced method. Account for wind, waves, freeboard and the side or quarter from which the recovery equipment works; a successful return that places the casualty beneath the hull or beyond the lifting point is not a successful approach.
An incapacitated casualty needs a prepared lifting system such as suitable lifting gear, a strop or a recovery net, used within its limitations. Current MCA guidance says the recovery plan should be yacht-specific, consider available crew, freeboard, wind, waves and equipment limitations, and minimise injury against the vessel. Drills must prove that the real crew can rig and use the arrangement.
Handle a cold casualty gently and recover horizontally or near-horizontally where practicable; vertical recovery can increase cardiac risk in hypothermia. Protect from wind, insulate, monitor breathing and responsiveness, and seek urgent medical guidance. Do not rub the skin, apply strong direct heat or give a drink to somebody who is not fully conscious and able to swallow.
Worked example
A crew member falls overboard from a sailing yacht at night. Four people remain aboard, the engine is available and the casualty is still visible.
- 1One person shouts the alarm, throws buoyancy and a light, and becomes the dedicated pointer.
- 2The helm slows or turns using the yacht's practiced response while another crew member marks the position and makes the urgency or distress call when required.
- 3The skipper nominates the recovery side, prepares the lifting system and briefs when the engine will be in neutral or stopped.
- 4The approach ends with the casualty clear of the propeller and adjacent to the usable lifting point, not merely close to the hull.
- 5The crew lift horizontally or near-horizontally where practicable, begin cold-casualty care and update the rescue service.
Sense check: If removing the strongest crew member from the helm leaves nobody able to control the yacht, the recovery plan has not allocated roles realistically.
Audit the weakest link in the recovery plan
The yacht carries a boarding ladder, but the least-mobile crew member could be unconscious and the freeboard is too high for two people to lift them by hand.
1. Model
Assume the casualty cannot help, the deck is moving and the strongest available crew member may be at the helm.
2. Rig
Choose a compatible strop, net or lifting purchase and identify the recovery point, load path and propeller boundary.
3. Prove
Practise the complete sequence with a safe representative load and revise anything the actual crew cannot deploy or control.
Sense check: A ladder is not an incapacitated-person recovery plan, and equipment that has never been rigged is not proven capacity.
Common mistake or limitation
- A plotter MOB mark records a past position; it does not replace the pointer, continuing search pattern or updates for drift.
- The Williamson turn is a recognised option, not a universal small-yacht recipe or guarantee of returning alongside the casualty.
- Returning to the casualty is only half the task. High freeboard, weak crew, propeller location and an unconscious casualty can make the lift the limiting step.
- Vigorous rubbing, strong direct heat or an unsupported vertical lift can add risk to a cold casualty.
Recap
- Alarm, flotation, pointing, position marking and boat control are parallel priorities, not a slow serial checklist.
- Use a yacht-specific manoeuvre and approach that keeps the casualty clear of the propeller and reaches the prepared lifting point.
- Prove the lift with the actual crew and equipment; recover a cold casualty gently and near-horizontally where practicable.
Optional quick check
Section 8 of 10
The casualty is visible but unconscious beside a high-freeboard yacht. Which preparation closes the most important remaining gap?
Continue studying Safety
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