"KLC Lewis" wrote in message
et...

"Capt. JG" wrote in message
...

My initial thought is that the situations when someone goes aglub do not
usually lend themselves to having any useful help from an unattached
dink. The typical situation would be one of fairly high winds and seas,
and losing a dink in those conditions would disappear it almost
immediately from the area. A dink made of what you describe would be
highly susceptible to being wind-blown; thus, something with more windage
would be a disadvantage. My personal preference would be to throw
multiple objects that float, which is described as littering the water.

In addition, the generally accepted rule of preventing hypothermia is for
the MOB *not* to attempt to swim, as this uses up useful heat reserves in
a futile attempt to catch the boat. In practice, with a conscious person,
that's going to be ignored if the rescue boat is within a boat length or
less. If the person is conscious, I would talk to them as well as other
crew members, for one thing telling the MOB not to swim.

I certainly understand the tempting nature of using the dink, but I think
the deficit outweighs the advantage.

I'm fortunate that I've never experienced a true MOB emergency, but I've
been in the water on practice MOBs, and I've been aboard when others have
gone over deliberately. Well, I did push a woman into the water in the
BVI once, so I could get some recovery practice, but she didn't spill her
drink, so I don't think that counts. g

"J",

Valid thoughts, many of which were on my mind as well. Thanks for the
reply! :-)



Unfortunately, retrieving a conscious MOB is a cake-walk compared to an
unconscious one. If you've never tried it, get a weighted dummy or sack with
rocks that's 150 - 200 lbs and try retrieving it while on a mooring or at
anchor (not at the dock, as that removes the motion of the boat due to
current/wind). It really takes some planning, especially if the person doing
the retrieving is smaller than the MOB.

Jonathan

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