GENERAL INFO
Instructional Guidelines
for
Teaching in Lido 14's
Phase IV - Person-Overboard Retrieval
A. PERSON-OVERBOARD RETRIEVAL
To gain a Junior Skipper rating, the student will be required to sail alongside a floating object coming practically to a stop and to take the object aboard using the following basic procedure. Before using the plastic bottle person-overboard, you should have the student practice slow sailing -- sail on a close reach and slow sail as explained in paragraph 3 below.
1. Immediate assistance. After the person-overboard is thrown in the water, the student should call out "Person Overboard!", and assign a specific person to keep it in view.
2. Getting into position. It is now necessary to sail to a point where the boat can return and stop alongside of the person-overboard in a strictly controlled manner. This point will generally lie on the course of a moderately close reach approaching the person-overboard. This entails changing course to a broad reach immediately after the person goes overboard (falling off if on a close or beam reach, heading up if on a run). Then, after sailing downwind a reasonable distance, the student will tack and begin approaching the person-overboard. The student should let the mainsheet out all the way, and while sailing straight toward the person-overboard, look at the mainsheet -- it will droop in the water if the boat is on a close reach.
3. Approaching the person-overboard. At this point the student should be cautioned not to sail full speed toward the person-overboard, hoping to go into irons exactly alongside it. Instead, slow sail up to the person-overboard, as you would approach a dock. That is, continue on a close reach (not close-hauled), and with both sails luffing, pulling in the mainsheet from between the traveler and the boom to gain forward momentum, letting it out to slow down. The student should not slow down too much, especially in strong winds, as the boat will tend to slip excessively to leeward.
4. Maneuvering. Fine adjustments in course can be safely made until the person-overboard is within inches of the boat, even in very rough weather. Large adjustments should be made early permitting precise final positioning. If the boat is too far off the wind, the mainsheet will be taut, and the student will not be able to slow down the boat; the student must correct the course by falling off briefly and immediately returning the course straight toward the person-overboard until the boat is on a close reach and the mainsheet droops in the water. Falling off too far will require additional tacking to reach the person-overboard.
5. Recovery. Properly conducted, slow sailing allows the student or crew to leisurely reach overboard on the windward side and pick up the person-overboard. Actual persons brought in the Lido can be lifted over the transom or gunwale. While the boat is nearly stopped as it luffs up to the person, it is a simple matter to heave to by back-winding the jib and moving the tiller to the leeward side of the boat. It may help to have the person hook a leg over the side to assist in pulling them in.
