Man overboard
Yachtmaster examiners love throwing buckets and fenders over the side to simulate a man overboard. Not only does this put candidates in the position of thinking what they are going to do with a crew member in the water, it is also a good test of boat handling and wind awareness under pressure.
If you are practising, the bucket and fender can go in when the helm is ready. Brief the crew beforehand and have someone whose sole job is to point at the MOB.
UNDER SAIL
This is only going to work if the boat is stopped next to the bucket with the main flapping. We’ve all watched boats sail past MOB dummies at several knots with the main drawing.
As soon as the MOB goes in the boat needs to be stopped by tacking into the heave to position and the dan buoy and lifebelt deployed. In a real emergency, unless you are sure you are going to retrieve the MOB (or even if you’re sure) a distress call should be made. Every member of the crew should understand how to use the VHF radio and a script of what to say should be displayed near the radio.
Sail away with the wind just aft of the beam checking the wind indicator. About seven or eight boat lengths away, tack. You should be on a close reach and you may want to roll up the jib depending on how well the boat sails without it. Point the boat at the man and free the main to check it will flap. If it doesn’t, steer downwind slightly and check again. Spill and fill and aim to pick up on the leeward side you’ll drift away if you put the MOB to windward. On a windy day you will have to aim upwind because as the boat slows it will make leeway. Aim to pick up just aft of the shrouds but forward of the boom.
UNDER POWER
This is probably the quickest way of retrieving a MOB, and speed is essential in cold water. Throw the MOB in. Heave to, roll up the jib, check for lines in the water and start the engine. Sheet in the main and steer to the downwind position. Mind the gybe. Motor upwind to the MOB with the main flapping. It is easier to arrive slightly on the upwind side. Keep the prop well clear of the MOB.
This is all fairly straightforward when practising but remember when it happens for real there will, by definition, be one less crew and a rope around the prop can be fatal. Every skipper should also have thought how to retrieve the MOB from the water. Easy enough if they are fit enough to climb up a ladder, but really hard if the cold has sapped their strength. It’s worth practising the recovery in a calm anchorage in summer, and make sure your plan works for a solo sailor if you sail as a couple. It is far from easy to lift a waterlogged person from the water, however strong you are.