We have discussed MOB, in both hoisting, dinghies, life jackets etc. This piece is somewhat condensed but is from the current issue of Sailing magazine--and part of this was posted on Scuttlebutt. I am not making any judgements, but it illustrates how rapidly things can go wrong. This is why we all need to have plans for emergencies and the equiptment to impliment the plans.
"‘A Terrible Mistake’
3 sailors die when J/35 crashes into Chicago breakwall during man overboard rescue
Three sailors died and a fourth crewmember was treated for hypothermia when the J/35 they were on smashed into a breakwall during a man overboard rescue in Chicago, Illinois, October 24.
The accident happened at about 8:15 p.m. near the end of a short trip to a local boatyard for the winter.
Three were wearing Type I vest-style life jackets and another wore a properly functioning self-inflating jacket. They were not wearing harnesses.
NOAA reported 21 to 30 knot winds and seas of about 9 feet.
Finn and his crew attempted to take down the only sail they had set—a No. 3 jib—outside of Calumet Harbor near the southern end of the breakwall, instead of entering a gap at the northern end of the harbor or tucking in around the south end of the wall to douse the sail. Childers was on deck pulling the jib down when he fell overboard, Finn immediately turned the boat to rescue Childers, and the crew called the Coast Guard.
The crew was able to reach Childers, but did not get him back on board, “They were able to recover the guy enough to latch back onto him, but then they started having problems with the sea state,” Arnold said. “The winds were pushing them into the breakwater and they had the engine on full power but it was not enough.” He estimated the waves at 10 to 12 feet high as they rebounded from the breakwall.
It was about 45 minutes from the time of the man overboard radio call to when the Coast Guard spotted the men on the wall, he said. The water temperature was 54 degrees, according to Arnold.
All four sailors were close to each other on the riprap, and the Coast Guard was able to retrieve the men by dropping rescuers off on the wave-washed breakwall from the harbor side.
Sailors and the Coast Guard said there are lessons to be learned from the tragedy. Weisman said the combination of Finn’s decision not to take the sail down inside the harbor, coupled with Childers’ lack of a harness were disastrous.
“I’m really upset about this. Three people died because first, someone went forward without a harness, and second, why would you take your sails down there in the first place?
Arnold, of the Coast Guard, said the importance of wearing life jackets is demonstrated even in tragedies such as this.
“All four of them had life jackets on, and that’s what allowed us to pull them out of the water,” he said. “If they hadn’t had them on we wouldn’t have recovered anyone. At least we were able to recover their bodies for the families.”
"‘A Terrible Mistake’
3 sailors die when J/35 crashes into Chicago breakwall during man overboard rescue
Three sailors died and a fourth crewmember was treated for hypothermia when the J/35 they were on smashed into a breakwall during a man overboard rescue in Chicago, Illinois, October 24.
The accident happened at about 8:15 p.m. near the end of a short trip to a local boatyard for the winter.
Three were wearing Type I vest-style life jackets and another wore a properly functioning self-inflating jacket. They were not wearing harnesses.
NOAA reported 21 to 30 knot winds and seas of about 9 feet.
Finn and his crew attempted to take down the only sail they had set—a No. 3 jib—outside of Calumet Harbor near the southern end of the breakwall, instead of entering a gap at the northern end of the harbor or tucking in around the south end of the wall to douse the sail. Childers was on deck pulling the jib down when he fell overboard, Finn immediately turned the boat to rescue Childers, and the crew called the Coast Guard.
The crew was able to reach Childers, but did not get him back on board, “They were able to recover the guy enough to latch back onto him, but then they started having problems with the sea state,” Arnold said. “The winds were pushing them into the breakwater and they had the engine on full power but it was not enough.” He estimated the waves at 10 to 12 feet high as they rebounded from the breakwall.
It was about 45 minutes from the time of the man overboard radio call to when the Coast Guard spotted the men on the wall, he said. The water temperature was 54 degrees, according to Arnold.
All four sailors were close to each other on the riprap, and the Coast Guard was able to retrieve the men by dropping rescuers off on the wave-washed breakwall from the harbor side.
Sailors and the Coast Guard said there are lessons to be learned from the tragedy. Weisman said the combination of Finn’s decision not to take the sail down inside the harbor, coupled with Childers’ lack of a harness were disastrous.
“I’m really upset about this. Three people died because first, someone went forward without a harness, and second, why would you take your sails down there in the first place?
Arnold, of the Coast Guard, said the importance of wearing life jackets is demonstrated even in tragedies such as this.
“All four of them had life jackets on, and that’s what allowed us to pull them out of the water,” he said. “If they hadn’t had them on we wouldn’t have recovered anyone. At least we were able to recover their bodies for the families.”