Man overboard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the song, see Man Overboard (song).
- For the Yes, Prime Minister episode, see Man Overboard (Yes, Prime Minister).
Man overboard refers to a situation in which a person has fallen off a boat or ship into water and is in need of rescue. Whoever sees the person fall should shout "MAN OVERBOARD" to alert other crew members, and if possible keep sight of the person in the water.
[edit] Causes
There are many causes: the person might have been struck by a spar of the ship (boom, spinnaker pole, davit), or might have lost his/her footing due to a slippery deck or the unexpected movement of the boat.
[edit] Rescue
A life preserver or just a line may be thrown to the person in the water. At least one crew member, usually the one who spotted the person fall, should be designated to point constantly at the person in the water while the rest of the crew bring the boat to the position for recovering them. If the person is unconscious they will need to be lifted into the boat. Many people are also not strong enough, especially in wet clothing, to lift themselves back on board and will also need assistance.
If the boat was moving it may be necessary to maneuver closer to the person's location. If the boat is sailing under wind power this may be especially tricky so special "turns" have been devised depending on the conditions: the Quick turn also known as the Q-turn or the Figure eight turn, the Anderson turn, the Williamson turn, and the Scharnow turn.
