From a sailing yacht

Methods used with a sailing yacht will vary, as with all boats, but it’s common for a boat under sail to be asked to maintain a close-hauled course on port tack. With the boat on the helicopter’s starboard side, the boat will be heeling away from the helicopter and the winchman, keeping the rig clear and presenting the deck and cockpit as a landing area. For the yacht’s helmsman, maintaining a constant course is less important than following any wind shifts to keep the speed and heel.

If conditions dictate, the helicopter might come overhead, lower a hi-line and then move away to port to lower the winchman.

2 Guiding the winchman into the cockpit with the help of the hi-line, which should be free to run and never made fast to the boat.

1 The hi-line has been lowered into the boat and the winchman now comes down from the port quarter.