"Man overboard!" (also referred to as "Person overboard!", "Person in water!", "Crew overboard!", or just "Overboard Help!") is an exclamation given aboard a vessel to indicate that a member of the crew or a passenger has fallen off of the ship into the water and is in need of immediate rescue. Whoever sees the person fall is to shout a version of, "Overboard!" The call is then repeated once by every crew member within earshot, even if they have not seen the victim fall, until everyone on deck has heard and given the same call. This ensures that all other crew have been alerted to the situation and notifies the officers of the need to act immediately to save the victim. Pointing continuously at the victim may aid the helmsman in approaching the victim.
Causes A person may fall overboard for any number of reasons: they might have been struck by one of the ship's booms, they may have lost their footing on a slippery deck or while climbing the ship's ratlines, they may have deliberately jumped overboard in a suicide attempt, or any number of other reasons. Falling overboard is one of the most dangerous and life-threatening things that can happen at sea. This is especially so if falling from a large vessel that is slow to maneuver, or from a short-handed (i.e. undermanned, lacking sufficient crew) smaller boat. When single-handed and using self-steering gear, or when taking place at night or in stormy conditions, the situation is usually fatal. If the individual who falls overboard is wearing a personal flotation device (life jacket), the chances of their survival are significantly improved.
Overboard statistics From 2000 to 2018, 284 people went overboard or fell off cruise ships and a further 41 fell off large ferries. In any given month, approximately two people go overboard. Between 17 percent and 25 percent of people who go overboard are rescued.
Recovery under sail
If the vessel has a functioning engine it should be started as soon as possible (after checking for trailing ropes). Once the sails are under control recovery should proceed as for a powerboat. There have been various sailing maneuvers recommended and taught to handle overboard situations. Three common ones follow. Whoever sees the accident is to shout a version of "Man overboard!" loudly and clearly to alert the rest of the crew. At least one person should do nothing other than stand and point at the casualty maintaining continuous visual contact. Whatever marker and flotation equipment is to hand should be thrown as near the casualty as possible by other crew members. This may include a horseshoe buoy or lifebuoy, a danbuoy or man overboard pole, and even a floating smoke signal. If the equipment exists, man overboard alerts are to be triggered on whatever electronic gear is available including GPS receivers and DSC radio transmitters.
Quick stop or crash stop The most direct action is to stop the boat immediately, very near to the casualty. This can be done by immediately tacking the bow of the boat through the wind without handling the jib sheets, so that the boat is effectively hove to. In some circumstances, this may be enough, and the casualty can be recovered as the boat drifts back down onto them. In many cases, however, the manoeuvre will have left the boat too far away for that. In this case, the mainsail is sheeted in hard and the turn continued until the boat circles, the wind is jibed across the stern and the boat is sailed downwind, past the casualty again and finally brought to rest by turning upwind again. It is recommended not to adjust the sails for efficient downwind sailing, so that too much speed is not built up when approaching the casualty. The main advantages of this method are its simplicity (making it ideal for short-handed crews), and the fact that the boat does not need to be maneuvered far away of the casualty (which reduces the likelihood that the crew may lose visual contact).
Reach-turn-reach The more traditional maneuver is more time-consuming and requires more sailing skill, but is more flexible and less likely to fail as it gives the helmsman more time to make adjustments and corrections to the course and the approach. It is more suitable for the open sea and rougher, windier conditions. Immediately after the accident, the boat is put onto a beam reach away from the casualty, with a crew member maintaining constant visual contact. Once there is room to maneuver, the boat is either tacked or jibed back towards the casualty. It is important that the casualty is approached on a close reach, so that wind can be spilled from the sails in order to slow down and stop on station. Helmsmen are advised to test this during the approach by spilling wind on the way, and losing ground to leeward to correct the course if necessary, to ensure that this is possible. If the casualty is too windward of a close reach during the approach, it may be necessary to gain ground to windward close hauled to ensure that the boat does not stall head-to-wind downwind of the casualty at the end. In the end, the boat is luffed to windward close to the casualty, with a view to recovering them amidships. This may be upwind of them and close in light winds, so that it drifts down to them for recovery; upwind and a few meters away for a throwing line in moderate winds; or downwind within throwing distance if they are conscious in a heavy blow to prevent dropping heavily upon them.
The deep beam recovery An alternative maneuver, somewhere between the two above in terms of complexity and flexibility, is to put the boat onto a deep beam reach immediately after the accident, and sail a few boatlengths away downwind and to one side. At this point, the boat is rounded up and tacked so that, as in the reach-turn-reach, the casualty is approached on a close reach maintaining the ability to steer, slow down and stop as required by the conditions.
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