Typhoon MOB Gear

[jtjc53]

Hi. We sail our Typhoon in Monterey Bay off Santa Cruz, where the conditions can me more like the open ocean at times, and we therefore want to be prepared should someone go overboard. What are other Typhoon sailors using to fulfill the USCG's requirement of having a Type IV throwable device? And where are you mounting/storing that device and its throw line?

[Carl Thunberg]

Not a Typhoon, but take a look at the throwable bag mounted to the stanchion in the photograph below. The bag is filled with floating line. This is just one of many options to consider.

Throwable.jpg

Not sure why the image came in so small.

[jtjc53]

Thanks, Carl. I have considered one of those bags. I didn't think they included any sort of floatation device though. Do you keep a throwable cushion or ring tied to the line?

[Carl Thunberg]

I do not keep anything tied to it. I don't want anything that could potentially get tangled or in any way interfere with immediate deployment. I should have said at the outset that I consider this a retrieval system. PFD use on all my previous sailboats was mandatory when on deck, so I was more concerned about retrieval than flotation. That said, I also had a ton of the seat cushion throwables and in the event of a MOB situation, my plan was to throw anything and everything that floats in the water, more as a marker than to keep someone actually afloat. Small boats don't have the luxury of space for a LifeSling. So, we improvise. For the most part, I'm a coastal cruiser, which is really just a string of day sails. In rough conditions where an MOB situation is more likely to occur, I generally stay home. Every situation is unique and what works for one may not work for another. Consider it one data point. It certainly would not work for offshore passagemaking.