By Rich du Moulin

Last weekend, a group of Storm Trysail sailors gathered off Stamford for a full-scale offshore safety training session in preparation for this year’s Newport Bermuda Race. Conditions cooperated, with 20–30 knots of breeze providing a realistic environment for practicing the skills crews hope never to need but must be prepared to execute flawlessly.  The BYOB approach to preparation was founded by Storm Trysail 6 years ago.

Event Chair Richard West brought his J120 Charlotte with his Bermuda crew on board.  Rich du Moulin and John de Regt joined DIck York on his beautiful powerboat Grace and brought the MOB dummies, tallboy buoys, Rescue Crew PFD and bridle, and AIS beacon.

The Charlotte crew conducted a series of man-overboard recoveries under sail (storm jib and double reefed main), first under sail only, then sail assisted by engine, then engine only with sails down.  The tallboy was used to practice alongside pickups and towing the Lifesling.  Then the dummy was used to practice recoveries.  The coaches aboard Grace and Charlotte were in close communication. 

One very interesting finding was the benefit of performing recoveries with the sails down permitting the boat ot maintain stern to the wind and seas.  This provided a stable platform and sailboats naturally like to power astern and hold position with the stern dead into the wind.  This is potentially a breakthru maneuver (assuming the boat does not have an open transom).

The final exercise had  Charlotte send its navigator below while Grace motored a mile and a half away, taping the AIS beacon ten inches above the tallboy float, and lighting it off.   It took two minutes for the AIS to find its GPS position and begin transmitting.  Charlotte was able to navigate to within a few boat lengths of the beacon where the crew could finally spot it among the waves!  

The drills provided valuable experience for both skippers and crew and reinforced the importance of regular practice before heading offshore.  It also familiarized the crew with the handling characteristics of their yacht under sail and power in heavy weather conditions.

Special thanks to Dick York, John de Regt, Rich du Moulin, and Richard West and his crew aboard Charlotte for organizing and supporting the day. Their efforts helped make the exercise both practical and educational.

The safety plan used for the event is available below for any club or crew wishing to conduct a similar exercise. In addition, training dummies used during the man-overboard drills are available to be loaned to organizations and sailors in the Larchmont area interested in running their own practice sessions.

Photos of the day, courtesy of John de Regt, accompany this article.