MOB recovery device

[sailaway21]

Anyone had any experience with one of these "Kim Pick Up Sail"'s? One company's answer to the vexing problem of getting the hypothermic or weak sailor back on board. Kind of like the boat equivalent of a ship loweriing a cargo net over the side.
Aladdins Cave Chandlery Ltd Product of the Month February 2007 - Ocean Safety KIM Pick Up Sail

Here's the company's site:
Ocean Safety Direct

[sailingdog]

Of course, you could use a storm jib to do much the same thing... also, if you carry a hammock aboard, it would probably work as well.

The device was invented about four years ago or so by a teenaged girl IIRC, following an MOB incident with her father.

[tommays]

While it looks good at the dock i am NOT seeing that happen to easy in anything BUT the best weather


I still like the lifesling as it allows you to get a still able person HOOKED to the boat at a good distance away and then work on getting them back on board

[sailingdog]

IIRC, the reason this device was invented was to help bring people aboard in the horizontal position. The problem in cold-water sailing is that some one who has been in cold water and is hypothermic may suffer a sudden heart attack and die if they're brought out of the water in the vertical position...

I cheat and just haul them onto the ama deck... but most boats don't have that as an option.

Originally Posted by tommays

While it looks good at the dock i am NOT seeing that happen to easy in anything BUT the best weather


I still like the lifesling as it allows you to get a still able person HOOKED to the boat at a good distance away and then work on getting them back on board

[soulesailor]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

IIRC, the reason this device was invented was to help bring people aboard in the horizontal position. The problem in cold-water sailing is that some one who has been in cold water and is hypothermic may suffer a sudden heart attack and die if they're brought out of the water in the vertical position...

I've never heard of a heart attack because of being in a vertical position. Hypothermic people will have a pulse that is barely there and if handled roughly that weak heart beat will stop and the heart will fibrilate. This device looks like a good way to haul someone on deck with little man-handling.

[tommays]

IF you want them on deck with the least abuse than a MOM 9 would be best because it gets them out of the water ASAPwhile they still have some body strenth left, that sail rescue device rolls them 360 up the hull several times depending on the boats freeboard


And none of it even begins to cover the beating there going to take in even a 2' sea

[bubb2]

In my old days of teaching sailing, There is a MOB technique described in many sailing books, Where you lower the main and remove it from the mast track. You flake it over the rail with the halyard still attached and the boom centered much like this man over board device. Once you have your victim in the sail then you winch the sail back up and the victim is hauled aboard. In practice, there are two things I would like to point out.

Once you start hauling chances are the victim will roll with in the sail face down into a sail half filled with water. 2sd, They are coming in over the over the top of the life line.

Once you start hauling you are committed, haul and get the person on board. I have seen them do a 1/2 roll, I have also seen a full roll, but time is not your friend here.

Once they are over the top of the life line GENTLY lower them to the deck.
Like any other MOB recovery technique this should be practiced.

PS: you multi hulled guys are going to have to find something else!!!