PLB AND MOB

[Andrew]

Those are some good points there,

The fold-down transom boarding ladder has got to be one of the best safety-additions. I use mine for exiting/boarding the kayak, the lowest step about 20-30cm below waterline makes all the difference. It was easy to board when swimming/diving at anchor too. Its' never been tried out in open waters as yet,

Glad you could save your crew with the hard dinghy Ozzie, it's a procedure we could all make use of in an emergency. I've got a SOT kayak tender, Vaguely remember it can be boarded when swimming alongside it, but must test that again. It's usually towed when in calm waters/day and on foredeck for rough open waters/night.

Re-tenders. Those inflatable (stand up or kneel) paddle boards look like they might work as an I563 tender/rescue board (visions of "Bondi rescue" but would take about 10x longer to prone-paddle anywhere )
Not sure if they have a good towing fixture though. The stowage problem is solved (and also great for road trips to lakes etc).

No one's mentioned lifejacket whistles they can make all the difference day or night. cheap plastic ones attached on a short lanyard to every lifejacket in use. Perfect for a MOB, beats shouting your lungs out every time. I tuck mine into a web strap out of the way.

[Andrew]

I’ve been thinking Andrew that any setup would need a line, probably have to be dyneema, fixed about half way up the mast, that would give the opposite shroud more mechanical advantage. It would be better to have a strap around the mast with a shackle as a fitting would need to be strong and strongly anchored. That would come to the end of the boom to take the weight of the mob and a turning block hung from it with your lift line passing through that, to the which one way and down to a harness if some kind the other way. Would this put excessive compression of the boom towards the mast and wreck the gooseneck? Lots of ifs really. None of this is a problem on big sailing boats with industrial sized hardware I guess.

Sounds like it may work in theory on our boats but it’s not practical to leave set up really and not much point having to rig it in an emergency. Only practical solution is not to fall overboard

Just had a thought, maybe the backstay could be disconected and reconnected to the boom end. That would easily take the weight. (after the main is dropped and stowed of course) the main sheet purchase could be disconnected and attached to the life-sling. (my boat already has quick-release fitting on these too)

[Ozzie]

https://www.yachtingmonthly.com/gear/mo ... very-30318

Looking for articles on a “pick up sail” as described in the above story. Out of all the methods outlined this one would probably be the simplest to use on an investigator as it could be left rigged on the toe rail and maybe a main sheet block used to pull it ...maybe . All of the others require heavy duty rigging and winches I think to be effective, and as an electric anchor winch would be worth three times more than my boat I doubt I’ll be installing one soon. Anyway some interesting stuff to have been reading while it’s been raining here.

A738F1A6-3A80-4B2F-A6B6-D56263E5B484.jpeg (15.54 KiB) Viewed 13812 times

I note specifically the comment about the swim ladder, that the stern of a yacht is no place to be in a seaway and that’s something I had not considered

As per Andrew my raised toe rail and lifelines are my first line of defence. I have a horseshoe lifebuoy for SPRITZIG that I picked up new and unused on gummy but I’m looking at construction of an ss bracket to mount it on the rail. My PFD is a kayak type which is quite legal in enclosed waters and I keep a whistle, light stick and spf 50 stick sunscreen in the two pockets. Mrs Ozzie has a similar vest without pockets but the same gear lanyarded onto it. I choose this over the brick PFDs( I keep 4 aboard ) even when there are two persons aboard and I don’t have to wear one. Why? Well, it’s fitted enough that you don’t mind wearing it, and not bulky. You can move comfortably in and around the boat in it and that includes the front hatch. Also you can swim in it quite easily which I find a chore in brick PFDs. It holds my weight with no issues. It’s a personal thing, but I don’t use inflation PFDs as I’m concerned Murphy may work in the factory.

What do others have ?

[Geoff]

Ozzie,

Re mounting your life buoy. I bought one from China via eBay. Mounts on the push pit rail at any angle. About 17 bucks. Or you can buy from someone here for about double. Search life buoy mount.

[Ozzie]

Thanks Geoff, will check it out, I forgot to try eBay. Not like me

[Geoff]

No worries Ozzie. RTM has them for $25 but I don’t think there is one near you. I assume other chandlers would have them. Cheaper than a bespoke job I assume.

[Andrew]

https://www.yachtingmonthly.com/gear/mo ... very-30318

Looking for articles on a “pick up sail” as described in the above story. Out of all the methods outlined this one would probably be the simplest to use on an investigator as it could be left rigged on the toe rail and maybe a main sheet block used to pull it ...maybe . All of the others require heavy duty rigging and winches I think to be effective, and as an electric anchor winch would be worth three times more than my boat I doubt I’ll be installing one soon. Anyway some interesting stuff to have been reading while it’s been raining here.A738F1A6-3A80-4B2F-A6B6-D56263E5B484.jpeg

I note specifically the comment about the swim ladder, that the stern of a yacht is no place to be in a seaway and that’s something I had not considered

As per Andrew my raised toe rail and lifelines are my first line of defence. I have a horseshoe lifebuoy for SPRITZIG that I picked up new and unused on gummy but I’m looking at construction of an ss bracket to mount it on the rail. My PFD is a kayak type which is quite legal in enclosed waters and I keep a whistle, light stick and spf 50 stick sunscreen in the two pockets. Mrs Ozzie has a similar vest without pockets but the same gear lanyarded onto it. I choose this over the brick PFDs( I keep 4 aboard ) even when there are two persons aboard and I don’t have to wear one. Why? Well, it’s fitted enough that you don’t mind wearing it, and not bulky. You can move comfortably in and around the boat in it and that includes the front hatch. Also you can swim in it quite easily which I find a chore in brick PFDs. It holds my weight with no issues. It’s a personal thing, but I don’t use inflation PFDs as I’m concerned Murphy may work in the factory.

What do others have ?

There's allot of info in that article ozzie,

It's dealing with large offshore yachts, with high freeboard and plenty of winch power and moolah available too.

I reckon the I563 doesnt fall into this category. The transom is wide and reletively low freeboard. The boatding ladder could still be used if hove-to or lying a hull. The fat aft sections of I563 reduce the pitching of the transom area. Ive never seen the transom leave the water when stationary, even in 1m waves off exposed side of maggy island.

So will just stick to simple, mooring rope with bowline for lifesling. Like the idea of "throwing a dinghy" as a life bouy, or even a floating lifesling

Wearing a harness seems like a good idea, either part of a jacket or seperate, provides a good lift point and reletive comfort.

Anyone fitted a duck-board platform rather than a ladder,?, it might be easier to haul someone up by standing on the platform.

My offshore jacket has a floating collar and whistle, 150 type. ?Should roll the wearer face up. But use a kayak jacket inshore/rivers etc as its less cumbersome. Keep some offshore 150 block jackets stowed as spares.

[Ozzie]

Yep, I always have four bricks on board, but we wear the vests if weather is a bit crook . I think if I were inventing a PFD I’d have a kayak style vest with pockets (hold gear), that you could sail in comfortably and also swim in if you have to go into the water, if you had to help/retrieve an mob in difficulties or clear a prop or similar action. It would have a secondary inflatable collar that could be inflated in a SHTF scenario. That means even with an inflation failure you would still have a functioning jacket, albeit not with the ability to turn an unconscious person over. A pull out insulated hood would also help. Perhaps such a thing exists.

Maybe add hip flask

[Ozzie]

https://smallboatsmonthly.com/article/w ... -your-pfd/
Just doing some research and this came up (interesting site to boot). As we are seeing more users coastal cruising their Investigators these days I thought it may have some useful info for some of us. As Andrew and myself are kayaking aficionados we know the drill of only having what you have on you. Of course this is all worse case scenario stuff and I’m normally in enclosed waters but I always remember back in my windsurfing days I kept a couple of 20c coins duct taped to the mast, to phone the wife to come get me if I finished up on the wrong side of the lake. Told my mate and later noticed he had a $2 coin as well. When I asked him what the extra was for he said “hot chips while I wait “... you can’t be too prepared .

[Andrew]

Gday all,

Good article ozzie, PFD's with pockets, but he could've found a better lifejacket model for the photo!

Re- PLB's was looking at them online and their price seems to have gone up, since KTi went out of business. Most have about a 5-7 years switched off battery life. They are a "last resort" item.

Exotic PLB's. I looked at and have used "SPOT" trackers, so programmed text messages can be sent to a computer ashore (eg "we are OK" or "send assistance") but these have an ongoing subscription fee. The Garmin "in-reach" GPS / sat communicators are even more expensive to run, can type in small messages, often used by mining companies/ explorers etc. Both types need someone monitoring at the other end.

Found that boats going past "the limits" must carry an EPIRB firstly, then a PLB only as backup. The small epirb-like PLB's are designed mostly for kayaks, jet-skiers (bless their souls), hikers and pilots. The transmitting battery life is a few days.

For the mostly near shore/ near harbour sailing done by I563's perhaps a floating waterproof handheld VHF radio suitably attached to the lifejacket (or belt) could come in handy. A solo MOB in the water could call in assistance from km's around. It could be used by kayaker to talk to crewed I563 with VHF at anchor too. They start at around $150 and range upto around $350 for one unit. Less $ to sink into it (than a PLB) and and rescue could come from a nearby tinnie and everyone's none the wiser. They may not be as reliable as a PLB but you soon know if anyone's heard you or is coming to find you. Standby battery life is only a day and dies fast with transmitting (but can be recharged overnight onboard)

The good exy VHF Handhelds have a GPS and DSC capability too, press the panic button and they transmit the exact position coordinates (plus owner data) to the Coast Guard, port authority, ships. This might be ok if we stay in range of repeater towers, shipping ports, ferries etc. VHF use is at sea only (Question - can VHF be used from boat to beach side legally? i know their use inland is illegal)

Another option may be a floating UHF handheld set of 2 (27mhz) ? Oricom sells these for under $200..