(stephen here, Im a gent of course)
POB (Person Overboard) comments
- there are two scenarios to consider for person overboard, under motor and under sail
Under motor its quite a bit easier - basically circle and go back near the person and make sure the engine is shut down! People and props dont mix well in water...
When I take my young ladies (11 years old) out in our 17 footer, I am always tethered to the motor with a 'kill lanyard" - If I fall overboard it automatically turns the motor off. You can put this on any outboard by the way. Everyone on board my boat knows how to shut the engine off - usually a small red switch on the console that immediately kills the motor.
If you motor on lakes, you can address most POB situations by simply killing the motor
Under sail is a lot more complicated, and an excellent reason for Captains and Admirals alike to learn how to handle the boat regardless of who is 'more into sailing' than the other.
I will add a couple of points though.
- You should always wear your PFDs when sailing. Somehow Ive noticed that women seem to have less of an issue with this than men, probably because God hands out more brains to women when it comes to self-preservation. When someone wearing a PFD goes overboard, it is a relatively simple recovery operation, as opposed to a rescue of a potentially drowning person.
- When someone goes overboard, the person who notices it has one job - they point to the person overboard and never take their eyes from her/him. Its quite easy to lose sight of a person in relatively small waves.
- Getting a cold, wet, exhausted person back on board is quite difficult and usually they cannot get themselves back on. On a Mac, you can winch someone up the transom or swim ladder pretty easily.
We have a Lifesling II on our boat - this a throwable PFD with a 75 foot floating tether. You throw it out, and then circle the person overboard so that they can grab the tether. They can then don the PFD under their shoulders, and you haul them in , then winch them on board.
In the States, licensing is handled State-by-State and most states dont require any courses or certification, although there is a trend to start requiring these. My young Admirals will take NY course this summer so they can sail/motor solo as minors.