allaboutboats

The biggest reason for loss of life on the water (approximately 80% of deaths) is a result of people falling overboard and drowning. Most often these people were not wearing their life jackets. Anyone who has been in the water especially if the water is cold will very quickly succumb to hypothermia. The most important procedure for preventing loss of life of this nature is to keep the people on the boat. More specifically, you want people to be wearing safety harnesses and lifejackets whenever the going gets rough. This is also essential for single-handed sailors or whenever you are out on deck alone. You never know when the vote would make an unexpected movement or when a rogue wave may hit the boat. Beyond this, if someone does fall off the boat being able to get back to that person and get them back on board the boat as quickly as possible is the difference between life and death. This necessitates a clearly understood and well practiced recovery procedure. It is especially essential if it is the skipper who has gone overboard. The crew must know how to react to that situation and recover the skipper. Taking the time to practice crew overboard maneuvers is never time wasted.

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