Crew training would not have been complete without a man overboard drill, and we sensed the yacht owners were keen to try some of their new safety kit on live bait….
So Karen was kitted out with a full set of sailing gear, and inflated lifejacket, and jumped overboard, hoping to be rescued by the crew. The Life Sling proved its worth once everyone worked out how to use it best. Howard steered the boat carefully around the victim in the water, and Karen was able to grab the line and hoop the inflated sling around her allowing the crew to pull her to the boat. She then attached the spinnaker halyard to the loop on the sling and was winched aboard, none the worse for wear if her newly antifouled blue legs were ignored.
The track shows the boat’s movements over the water, and the arrow is the approximate location of the MOB – it wasn’t easy and took a little time, but was a great experience, and we all learnt a lot.