Device that initiates an autopilot goto for singlehanded man overboard?

[Israel Hands]

And was that rule in place in 1983?

I've got the same issue and hadn't really thought about it until doing a safety workshop last Fall. My swim ladder is on the stern and has a pin retaining it up, which I am going to remove for the coming season, and I'll leave the ladder's retrieving line hanging almost to the waterline. That way if single-handing, I have a possible chance to reboard the boat. (I only daysail close to home singlehanded.)

The main thing is, as everyone points out, don't fall off the boat. Even if you fall off while tethered, if you are moving at 5+ knots there's a good chance you will be drowned as you drag alongside. So offshore or in heavy weather, safety lines need to be tight down the center of the boat, with your tether short enough to keep you from falling over the lifelines as much of the time as possible.

 

[slug zitski]

I've got the same issue and hadn't really thought about it until doing a safety workshop last Fall. My swim ladder is on the stern and has a pin retaining it up, which I am going to remove for the coming season, and I'll leave the ladder's retrieving line hanging almost to the waterline. That way if single-handing, I have a possible chance to reboard the boat. (I only daysail close to home singlehanded.)

The main thing is, as everyone points out, don't fall off the boat. Even if you fall off while tethered, if you are moving at 5+ knots there's a good chance you will be drowned as you drag alongside. So offshore or in heavy weather, safety lines need to be tight down the center of the boat, with your tether short enough to keep you from falling over the lifelines as much of the time as possible.

And adjust your behavior and techniques

details like lifeline gate pelican hooks are electrical taped closed when you put to sea

I can spot an amateur seaman in minutes…they move fore and aft on deck….. on the leeward side

 

[DDW]

It is just about impossible to pull yourself up a tow rope even at 3 knots. Try it behind a ski boat sometime. There are rope ladders that you hang on the toerail or pushpit that have a dangling lanyard to deploy them. Provided you can get to the boat.

I tell people that sail with me offshore, "Don't fall off - if you do you are probably dead. We will try to come get you, but we aren't very good at it, even pro racing crews aren't, so don't fall off." Single handed I figure once over the side I'm gone (and with a lot of crew I'm constructively single handed). With that mindset you put some extra effort into staying on board.

 

[longy]

There is no shame in moving about on hands & knees or skidding yer butt about. I went o/b off a J 44 mid bow once almost instantly. I did manage to hang on to upper lifeline, but I had rotated 180 in the air & my wrist was severely straines. As my 2 crew were on deck & had seen all this I let go. Took them 2 passes to get close enuff (with engine) for me to get to stern.
This boat had been fitted with 2 reaching struts, & they were mounted side by side just forwards of the shrouds on wimpy brackets. So you could not step on them, just on the 12" left between struts & l/l's. Breezy, choppy conditions, had been sailing with a 130% rolled up to 80% (no other options) when furling line broke. So we were feathering hard as I went forwards with a new line to (somehow) attach & wind up. So crew had to drop headsail ,contain it on deck, than return to me. Thankfully it was about noon.

 

[slug zitski]

A problem small boats face is short stancions, low lifelines and pulpits

difficult to fix this

if you are building a new boat, or doing a refit choose the next taller stanchion that is suitable

I never thought much of triple lifelines unless the boat is huge

 

[allweather]

Not an answer to the autopilot question, but regarding not ending up in the water. Especially on smaller, narrower and potentially without lifeline(only jackline) boats.

To mitigate the issue where even midship jacklines with short tethers aren‘t quite enough(bow majorly) I like to have another tether coming down from the mast to deck height.
That way even if one ends up outboards they‘re still(mostly) out of the water and have an easier time clambering on board again.
Which should head off the need to try and make the boat return? At most quick stop could be useful to make self recovery easier?

 

[Zonker]

Which should head off the need to try and make the boat return? At most quick stop could be useful to make self recovery easier?

Just a small explosive charge at the base of the mast. The mast comes down, boom = instant sea anchor.

 

[slug zitski]

Not an answer to the autopilot question, but regarding not ending up in the water. Especially on smaller, narrower and potentially without lifeline(only jackline) boats.

To mitigate the issue where even midship jacklines with short tethers aren‘t quite enough(bow majorly) I like to have another tether coming down from the mast to deck height.
That way even if one ends up outboards they‘re still(mostly) out of the water and have an easier time clambering on board again.
Which should head off the need to try and make the boat return? At most quick stop could be useful to make self recovery easier?

Each boat has its own challenges
the number one rule is to clip in and move forward and aft on the windward side

almost impossible to end up in the water when you fall on deck

 

[SimonGH]

Just a small explosive charge at the base of the mast. The mast comes down, boom = instant sea anchor.

This. Brilliant. Put a water activated remote in the PFD.

But seriously, I went through the same thought process when I was single handed sailing often. Even with others, unless they know how to handle the boat you're in trouble.

Clipping into midship jacklines, always wearing your pfd, and a PLB seem like a minimum.

I've considered that my AP remote might be useful, but it's bluetooth so the range isn't great so if you don't get on it pretty quick the boat will be out of range before you can control things.

Something that points the boat to windward when triggered might be interesting. The issue is that if you're forward and fall off, how does the boat know? it's not quite the same as a kill switch lanyard on a jetski or something...

 

[Alaris]

Something that points the boat to windward when triggered might be interesting. The issue is that if you're forward and fall off, how does the boat know? it's not quite the same as a kill switch lanyard on a jetski or something...

Someone who knows how to do these things could create software that compares your personal AIS beacon’s location to the boat’s.

 

[DDW]

The issue is that if you're forward and fall off, how does the boat know? it's not quite the same as a kill switch lanyard on a jetski or something...

The Raymarine Lifetag knows, because it looses contact with the tag as soon as you are in the water or more than 50 or so feet away. NKE uses their wireless remote which is constantly queried, if it looses contact it goes head to wind.

Going head to wind sounds good, but of course the boat will lose steerageway and begin to drift or fore reach. No way you are going to catch it swimming in an inflated PFD and foulies. In almost any circumstance beyond flat calm, you are not going to get to the boat, the boat has to come to you.

In crowded water, a AIS beacon would be more useful than a PLB in my estimation. The PLB action loop is very long: Signal to satellite, forwarded to national SAR, forwarded to local SAR, checks to be sure it isn't one of the 99% false alarms, broadcast an alert on 16, find an SAR resource, try to find you. I've heard many of these start and finish over the radio, it's a long time. Even if there is crew on your boat and the lose sight of you (very likely in weather), getting a current position from a PLB though SAR can take a very long time. The AIS beacon is relatively immediate, you set it off and immediately a DSC distress signal is sent, immediately your AIS position shows up on any boat in the vicinity, updated every 30 seconds. No one else and no other action involved. I have both PLB and AIS, gave up wearing the PLB in crowded water or remote with crew on the boat. Remote with no crew the PLB wins, but you'll be dead anyway so no real point.

 

[Zonker]

In crowded water, a AIS beacon would be more useful than a PLB in my estimation

totally agree

 

[221J]

I can't imagine a business developing such software because of all the negative outcomes that could happen. What could go wrong? The boat could run over the sailor. The boat could hit another boat. The boat could hit another boat while the sailor is still on board (sensor or software problem). The same sensor or software problem could rapidly turn the boat while the sailor is onboard resulting in the sailor going into the drink. The boat could run aground. In today's litigious world it might not matter that the vessel and sailor were already screwed before the software kicked in.

 

[beelzabub]

If your boat is 30 ft or less, tie the mainsheet around your ankle. If you go over the boat should go into irons and you can use the line around your ankle to pull back to the boat.

 

[mundi]

I was on the 3am watch as crew. So I was hovering over the NTK autopilot, looking at screens to find out how it worked. All of a sudden, a loud alarm goes off and the boat made an abrupt turn. That woke up the captain, of course. To get back on our course, we had to de-power the AP. This happened again, the next night. The captain was not happy. I finally determined that the NTK AP had MOB fobs that were linked by radio to the main device. The fob batteries were low, and I was standing between the fobs and the AP's receiver. So the AP did not get the fob's signals for a time, and initiated the MOB alarm and turn-about.

Fortunately, this was open ocean. I cannot imagine having such a system allowed anywhere else. We turned it off, along with the anti-capsize boom release system.

 

[nofacey]

Garmin quatix 5 watch has AIS and autopilot control abilities, though you’ll likely have to have an up to date Garmin chart plotter to interface with.
No clue on autopilot compatibility - though if it’s NEMA capable, should be fine.

Downside….ya gotta keep the watch charged!

​

 

[Snore]

This may sound good when sitting at the bar, but once you sober up it is unworkable!

Let’s assume you are going to windward TWD is 290, Heading 000, so TWA 70. You fall off. Vessel turns (hopefully to port), taking a heading of 180, now TWA is 110. The main is crazy over trimmed and the jib is back winded. Not seeing how this is going to end well for you or the boat. Best scenario is the boat sails past you and comes about a second time—- and sails by at a good clip since she was so well trimmed by you. This could be used as a Laurel and Hardy routine.

Second idea, boat turns so AWA=0. Would work until boat starts loosing headway and waves knock bow around,

Third idea, vessel auto-tacks into a bastardized hove-to position. This might work….. boat would be fine. Lots of luck getting to the boat.


Best solution…. Don’t fall off the f’n boat!

Set hard points, and jacklines such that you can fall and your center of mASS does not go over the rail. If you have had OSHA train8ng it helps to think of the tether not as securing you to the boat, but as fall protection.

 

[rfarich]

I have no idea what to search for either here or on google. The device I have imagined is like an ais beacon but also when activated the autopilot initiates a goto to the beacon. OR it just drops the MOB waypoint and initiates a goto to that point.

Does this exist? Should it?

Obviously a short tether and harness would negate the need but belt and suspenders.

B&G H5000 autopilot if it matters.

I believe NKE has something along these lines, B&G not so much. Im also on B&G. r

 

[thinwater]

Or just stop the boat. Scaleable to fit any boat, sails up or motor.
(I was bored and decided to try something. Another test was performed at 12 knots with the chute up. Worked fine. the boat slows to 1-2 knots and you just pull yourself to it. The nylon rope is vital to a controlled stop. The floating line must be really long so that you can catch it and trigger the chute.)

Chute test


It is much simpler to stay on the boat. The tether is the suspenders--holding on is the belt.

OK, this was just a fun test, but ... no one else has suggested any system they actually tested or have heard of being tested. Did you jump of and then succeed in climbing back aboard? No.

You could dispense with the float on the end and just trail 200-300 feet of floating line (you need to swim ~ 10 feet before the line runs by and tug about 3-4 pounds). The drag is only ~ 1 pound and I doubt anything would bite it. And if they did ... so what? Recover and reset.

(Like the "small charge" system, this stops the boat)

(Yes, staying on the boat is much better. And I was involved in writing up and pointing out several deffective tether systems.)

 

[Margaret P]

Interesting question!

Personally, I wouldn't want one. Because 'goto' function typically means 'head towards that location', but not 'slow down as you approach and stop'.

If I fall off boat boat when single handed, having bad day. If I'm floating in water and my boat is headed right at me, at speed, especially if its underwater meat grinder is on... I'm having really bad day.