"KLC Lewis" wrote in message
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"Capt. JG" wrote in message
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"News f2s" wrote in message
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(lots of good comments snipped, review thread if needed)

My thought with the inflatable in the water, assuming the MOB is able to
get into it, is that it gets them safely out of the water before the
mothership can get itself properly positioned for recovery (inflatable
still tethered to m.s.). In the inflatable, they can regain composure and
calm down a bit (if possible after the big splash). Bringing the m.s.
abeam the inflatable, the MOB is protected from the hard surface of the
m.s.'s hull, and they can "stand on the water," as it were, making
recovery easier. In theory, but I think a theory that is worth
consideration. Most people can't levitate themselves to water level, so
having that "step up" advantage could be very useful.



Well, I certainly agree. I guess my main beef is with the notion that a real
MOB situation is going to allow for it. If it does, that's just so much
gravy (ok, I'll stop with the food metaphores g).

We were practiciing crew recovery in the SF bay. The conditions for the bay
were fairly typical those few days... 20kts, 3/4 ft chop, 4 kts current
running. We had 4 instructors, 3 students, one safety boat. One of the
instructors went in the water wearing a wetsuit, fins and a PFD. The
conditions were such that the buoys were straining in the current.

It was up to each student in turn to do the complete recovery, nuts to
bolts, dropping sails, etc., with no help from anyone else, which included
hoisting the MOB into the boat to complete the drill. The MOB was instructed
not to help, except to protect himself from getting hit with something... no
help to the person attempting the recovery. The best time was from a woman
who weighed about 100 lbs soaking wet, hauling the 200 lbs instructor back
onto the deck. In fact, she over did it and had to lower him, because she
winched him up too high initially. Time from in the drink to on deck was
about 2.5 minutes. My best time was about 4.5. We all (instructors included,
except for the guy in the water) did the drill multiple times over several
days.

Even though we had a safety boat, I would call this as real-world as you can
get without risking lives.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com