If you go overboard, what can you do to increase your chances of recovery?

The first answer is that if you are wearing flotation a Lifejacket, also called a Personal Flotation Device (PFD), your chances of recovery are 12 to 15 times better than if you don’t have one on. That’s an awesome fact!

If you aren’t wearing flotation there are several things that you can do to improve your chances of being seen in the water and getting back aboard safely. A few of these hints are listed below:

1. Make sure you are seen and heard as you go over. Make yourself visible in the water.
2. Don’t swim after the boat. Swim to any flotation that is thrown in the water.
3. Conserve energy. Don’t shout. Blow a whistle, if you have one. Float in the HELP position.
4. Learn how to get into and fasten yourself into the MOB Recovery equipment on your boat.

• Shout and try to attract attention as you are falling overboard.
• Don't try to swim after the boat. Swim to any flotation that is thrown over instead.
• Try to make yourself visible (put hood up on foul weather gear, splash water around you, wave arms)
• Don't shout needlessly. Blowing a whistle is more likely to be heard aboard the rescue vessel.
• Wait for the boat to circle and return to you.
• Look for the Lifesling and its retrieval/trailing line or a throw rope in the water.
• Keep clothing on, trapping air inside it if possible.
• Get rid of heavy non-buoyant items including boots that fill with water.

1. If a Lifesling is used let the retrieval/trailing line slide through your hands until you reach the knots or bowline.
2. Put the Lifesling over your head and under you armpits
3. Clip together the two sides of the buckle next to each D ring, if you can find them.
4. If you are in the Lifesling and the boat starts to pull you through the water before it stops, TURN AROUND so that you will be towed backwards keeping the wake out of your face. This can be the most dangerous part of the whole procedure and must be avoided.
5. If the Lifesling is equipped with a thigh strap pull it down from the outer circumference of the sling to a point under your knees, adjusting it for comfort just before you are hoisted aboard.
6. Help the remaining crew get you aboard, if you can, but don't take the Lifesling off until you are on deck.

• If the boat misses you, or can't immediately find you, try to get to anything that floats like a cushion, MOB Pole or MOM, if you see one. You become more visible to those left on the boat when you do this.
• Get into any horseshoe or MOM and clip the two sides together, if it has clips.
• If you can't reach any flotation and you have to wait to be rescued, assume the Heat Escape Lessening Posture (HELP) as much as possible. Keep a hat on, your head out of the water, arms against your sides and across your chest and PFD, and your lower legs crossed, knees together and raised as the seas permit.
• Use signaling devices that you might have in your jacket (signal mirror, flares, flashlight)
• At night, activate a personal strobe, if you have one, and leave it on until the rescue boat makes its approach to pick you up. At that point turn the strobe off and an incandescent light on, if you have one, so that the strobe flashes do not disorient or temporarily blind the helmsman.
• Recognize that hypothermia will cause you to stumble, fumble and mumble within minutes of entering the water. Your fine motor skills will be reduced and you will begin to shiver. This is why you should get attached to flotation as soon as possible and let people help you get back aboard.
• For more information about the Lifesling see Lifeslingâ Owner’s Preparation Guide.

1. A. Jacklines must be attached to through-bolted or welded deck plates on the port and starboard sides of the center line. They must provide secure attachments for safety harness tethers on each racing sailboat in Category 0, 1, 2, and 3 monohull and multihull races. These lines must be made of uncoated stainless steel wire or webbing of equivalent strength. Multihulls should have at least two jacklines fitted on the underside in case of inversion.
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3. B.  Clipping Points for harness tethers must be attached to through-bolted or welded deck plates or other strong anchorage points adjacent to stations such as the helm, sheet winches, and masts, where crew members work for long periods. Two-thirds of the crew must be able to be clipped onto clipping points simultaneously, without depending on jacklines.
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5. C.  Static Safety Lines together with jacklines and clipping points must enable crew to clip on before coming onto deck and unclip after going below. While continuously clipped on, crew must be able to move readily between working areas and in cockpit(s), including being able to cross the deck athwartships, with a minimum of clipping and unclipping.

b) which, together with jackstays and static safety lines shall enable a crew member:

i to clip on before coming on deck and unclip after going below

ii whilst continuously clipped on, to move readily between the working areas on deck and in the cockpit(s), including being able to cross the deck amidships, with the minimum of clipping and unclipping operations

c) to enable two-thirds of the crew to be simultaneously clipped on without depending on jackstays

d) in a trimaran with a rudder on the outrigger, adequate clipping points that are not part of the deck gear or the steering mechanism, in order that the steering mechanism can be reached by a crew member whilst clipped on.

e) Warning – U bolts as clipping points – see 5.02.1 (a)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT JACKLINES AND CLIPPING POINTS

Special Regulation 5.02.1 (a) warns that it is possible for a plain snaphook to disengage from a U-bolt if the hook is rotated under load at right angles to the axis of the U-bolt or clipping point. For this reason the use of snaphooks with positive locking devices is strongly recommended on all Jacklines and Clipping Points.

JACKLINE DISCUSSION
There are two significantly different schools of thought on how jacklines should be used. One is that they should be taut and act as a ‘third leg’ to steady a person moving along deck while holding their tether tightly in hand. The other is that the Jackline and tether are there to catch a person should they fall. The Special Regulations allow both styles of jacklines, so it becomes an owner’s choice.
There is also an ongoing discussion whether the amount of stretch in webbing jacklines (estimated by some to be 20%) is dangerous? An overboard person attached to a webbing jackline could very well wind up being towed astern if the jackline stretches and the tether attached to it is full length (6ft). Some have suggested that this could be prevented or reduced by attaching the after end of the jackline at least 6 feet forward of the transom.
Another discussion that favors webbing over wire jacklines is that webbing is generally a contrasting color and it does not roll under foot.
Webbing jacklines are prone to more chafing and sun/UV damage than wire.
Some race organizers allow line instead of webbing as long as it has a breaking strength of 4500 lb or greater. Others will not accept nylon jacklines of any type. One, (Sydney Hobart) requires that the jacklines be made of 12 mm low/no stretch spectra material.
A possible compromise that might be acceptable to race organizers is to insert a low/no stretch line inside the tubing of a webbing jackline.

The ISAF Special Regulations state that each crew member aboard a racing sailboat is required to have a safety line (tether) not more than 2m (6 ft) long with a snaphook at each end in Category 0, 1, 2, and 3 monohull and multihull races. In addition to this, at least 30% of each crew is to be provided with either a short safety line (tether) not more than 1 m (3 ft) long or a mid-point snaphook on their longer safety line (tether).

Any safety line (tether) purchased after January 2001 should have a colored flag embedded in its stitching to indicate if the safety line has been overloaded.

Other strong recommendations given in the Special Regulations include:

1. Have static safety lines (tethers) securely fastened at work stations (e.g. near the mast and helm).
2. Have a contrasting color in the stitching to make it easier to detect wear and damage.
3. Use only snaphooks with positive locking devices at the boat end of safety lines (tethers) that will not self-release when twisted around an attachment point.
4. Have a snap shackle at the body end of the safety line (tether) that can be released under load.
5. Carrying a personal knife that can be used to cut the safety line (tether) in an emergency.

For the complete wording of Harness and Safety Line (Tether) requirements and recommendations see ISAF Special Regulation 5.02 with the US SAILING Prescription copied below from the 2002- 2003 Special Regulations.

Also below see the definition of "snaphook" and the results of a 1998 test where 47% of the tethers tested failed PLUS several helpful hints for the care and use of Safety Lines (Tethers).

5.02.1 Each crew member shall have a safety harness, and safety line not more than 2m (6 ft) long with a snaphook at each end and:

1. a safety line not more than 1m (3 ft) long, or
2. a mid-point snaphook on an existing 2m (6 ft) safety line

5.02.3 A safety line purchased in 1/01 or later should have a coloured flag embedded in the stitching, to indicate an overload. A line which has been overloaded shall be replaced as a matter of urgency.

5.02.4 A crew member’s harness and lifejacket shall be compatible.

1. a harness and safety line should comply with EN 1095 (ISO 12401) or near equivalent
2. static safety lines should be securely fastened at work stations
3. a harness should be fitted with a crotch strap or thigh straps
4. to draw attention to wear and damage, stitching on harness and safety lines should be of a colour contrasting strongly with the surrounding material
5. snaphooks should be of the type which will not self-release from a U-bolt (5.02.1 (a)) and which can be easily released under load (crew members are reminded that a personal knife may free them from a safety line in emergency)
6. a crew member before a race should adjust a harness to fit then retain that harness for the duration of the race

EXPLANATION OF TETHER COMPONENTS:
Snap Shackle – Easy to release under load, but can be released accidentally if the lanyard is pulled. Best suited for the harness end of the tether.

Snap Hook – Easy to attach, difficult to detach under load, and can become undone accidentally if used on U-shaped pad eyes. Not a favorite.

Gibb Snap Hook – Double action gate keeps the snap attached until you press both gates in succession. Very Secure. Hard to release under load.

Wichard safety hook – Relatively secure design makes it difficult for this safety hook to come undone until both backside and gate are squeezed simultaneously.

Double tethers – Enable you to remain attached as you move about the boat. You can also attach both at the same time for additional security.

Elastic tethers – Length of shock cord inside the webbing, causing them to retract to about 3 ft when not under tension, and stay out from underfoot.

1999 HARNESS AND TETHER STUDY: This study, conducted by the Sailing Foundation of Seattle, consisted of an in the water test to determine towing characteristics, a static test to determine comfort and ease of use, and a dynamic load test to ascertain compliance with the Special Regulations. Harnesses were also evaluated for desirable features such as reflective tape, stitching, quick release capability, and general quality.

The dynamic testing yielded the most noteworthy results. 8% of the harnesses failed the test (one a prototype), while fully 47% of the tethers failed the test.

See the 1999 HARNESS AND TETHER STUDY for a complete copy of this study, including a list of those harnesses and tethers that failed the test.

HINTS ON CARE AND USE OF TETHERS – When wearing a harness and using a safety line or tether:

1. Never unhook a shipmate’s tether unless he/she asks you to do so. Unhook your own and move it if you must move past a shipmate along the jackline.
2. Always attach a tether with the gate side up when attaching to a jackline.
3. Always hook on below decks before climbing through a companionway to go topside.
4. Never unhook before climbing below. Wait until you get below then reach back up to unhook.
5. Consider wearing two tethers when steering in heavy weather, one hooked on each side of the helm.
6. NEVER, ever hook a tether onto a lifeline.
7. Never hook a tether onto a steering pedestal or pedestal guard. (they are not often strong enough)
8. Check your tether frequently for worn webbing and broken stitches.
9. A tether which has been overloaded (just once) must be replaced as a matter of urgency.
10. After using a tether and harness on a passage rinse them off with fresh water and let them dry thoroughly before storing them in a clean, dry place.

The Offshore Special Regulations state that each crew member aboard a racing sailboat is required to have a safety harness in Category 0, 1, 2, and 3 monohull and multihull races.  Safety harnesses must be compatible with each crew member’s Personal Floatation Device (PFD).  In the US, the safety harness may be integrated with a personal floatation device, including an inflatable PFD.  It is strongly recommended that harnesses be fitted with a crotch strap or thigh straps and that the stitching on harnesses be of a contrasting color so that wear and damage can easily be spotted.  Every crew member should adjust their harness to fit before each race and keep that harness for the duration of the race.  Safety harnesses should be worn whenever conditions warrant, and always in rough weather, on cold water, or at night, or under conditions of reduced visibility and when sailing short-handed.

For the complete wording of Harness and Safety Line (Tether) requirements and recommendations see Special Regulation 5.02 with the US SAILING Prescription copied below from the 2002 - 2003 Special Regulations plus several helpful hints for the care and use of Harnesses.

5.02.1 Each crew member shall have a safety harness, and safety line not more than 2m (6 ft) long with a snaphook at each end and:

1. a safety line not more than 1m (3 ft) long, or
2. a mid-point snaphook on an existing 2m (6 ft) safety line

5.02.3 A safety line purchased in 1/01 or later should have a coloured flag embedded in the stitching, to indicate an overload. A line which has been overloaded shall be replaced as a matter of urgency.

5.02.4 A crew member’s harness and lifejacket shall be compatible.

1. a harness and safety line should comply with EN 1095 (ISO 12401) or near equivalent
2. static safety lines should be securely fastened at work stations
3. a harness should be fitted with a crotch strap or thigh straps
4. to draw attention to wear and damage, stitching on harness and safety lines should be of a colour contrasting strongly with the surrounding material
5. snaphooks should be of the type which will not self-release from a U-bolt (5.02.1 (a)) and which can be easily released under load (crew members are reminded that a personal knife may free them from a safety line in emergency)
6. a crew member before a race should adjust a harness to fit then retain that harness for the duration of the race

The 23 October 2002 edition of the E-mail newsletter OFFSHORE NEWS made the following announcement: