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Man overboard: act, return, recover

A man-overboard emergency means keeping the person in sight, giving flotation, returning under control and recovering them without exposing anyone else to danger.

Reviewed by Ramon Curto, Nautical teacher at IECNPC · Last reviewed:

Explore the recovery tracks

Power: reciprocal track, useful in poor visibility.

Tracks have no distance or time scale. Practise on your own boat with an instructor; wind, waves and handling change the approach.

Flotation marker · Tracks have no distance or time scale. Practise on your own boat with an instructor; wind, waves and handling change the approach.

Step 1/3 · Rudder hard over towards the side of the fall.

  1. Rudder hard over towards the side of the fall.
  2. At 60° deviation, put the rudder hard opposite.
  3. At 20° short of reciprocal, rudder amidships; steady on reciprocal.

Worked example: Williamson turn

Assume an initial course of 090° and a person falling to starboard; these are compass checkpoints, not timed steering commands.

Initial course
090°
Reciprocal course
270°
  1. Rudder hard over towards the side of the fall. 090°
  2. At 60° deviation, put the rudder hard opposite. 150°
  3. At 20° short of reciprocal, rudder amidships; steady on reciprocal. 290° → 270°

Tracks have no distance or time scale. Practise on your own boat with an instructor; wind, waves and handling change the approach.

How the recovery works

Shout “Man overboard!” and the side. Immediately throw flotation and a danbuoy if available. Appoint one person to point continuously at the casualty; never let that lookout become distracted by steering or radio work. Press MOB on the GPS or chartplotter: it marks where the alarm was raised, not the drifting person’s current position. Alert the skipper and assign helm, lookout, radio and recovery tasks according to the crew available.

Call for help early. When there is grave and imminent danger and immediate assistance is needed, send a DSC distress alert, if equipped, followed by MAYDAY on VHF channel 16. PAN PAN is for an urgent safety situation that does not meet the distress threshold. Give position, nature of the emergency and people involved; follow coastguard instructions. A plotted waypoint does not replace visual contact, especially at night or in waves.

Under sail, a quick-stop tacks promptly with the jib initially backed to keep the boat close, then circles back with a controlled final approach; it may involve a gybe and needs practice. A figure-of-eight uses a beam reach, a tack and a return reach before a slow close-reaching approach, avoiding a gybe. Under power, the Anderson turn suits an immediately seen casualty; Williamson returns to the reciprocal track and helps when visibility is poor. Scharnow suits a delayed discovery, not an immediate fall beside the boat.

For the Williamson example, start on 090° and turn hard to starboard. At a 60° change, the heading is 150°: reverse the rudder. On the port swing, 20° before the reciprocal means 290°; put the rudder amidships and steady on 270°. These IAMSAR checkpoints describe the standard turn, not an exact turning circle for your boat. Maintain a safe speed and adapt the final approach to wind, sea and propeller clearance; use neutral near the casualty.

Returning is only half the job. Secure the person with a recovery sling or Lifesling; a conscious, capable person may use a suitable ladder. An exhausted person may need a rated halyard, winch and lifting arrangement, operated by trained crew. Keep them clear of the propeller and avoid sending an unsecured rescuer into the water. Cold-water shock can cause an involuntary gasp: float and control breathing first. The 1–10–1 memory aid means roughly one minute for breathing, ten minutes of useful movement and an hour before unconsciousness from hypothermia; these are not guaranteed survival times. Recover gently, as horizontally as practicable, and seek medical advice.

Prevent a fall with correctly fitted lifejackets, secure handholds, jackstays and appropriate tethers; brief the crew, rehearse recovery and agree night-watch routines. The International Code of Signals Oscar flag means “Man overboard”; COLREG Annex IV lists distress signals, not a dedicated MOB signal. MOB recovery is taught in RYA Day Skipper practical training, Spanish PER and Patrón de Yate safety syllabuses, and the German SBF See practical rescue manoeuvre. Learn the decisions and recovery method, not just a diagram.

GMDSS distress procedures

Quick-stop

Sail: immediate response, keeping close to the casualty.

  1. Head up and tack; initially leave the jib backed.
  2. Circle nearby; manage sails and any gybe carefully.
  3. Approach slowly, secure the person and recover.

Figure-of-eight / reach–tack–reach

Sail: a practised return without a gybe.

  1. Beam reach away to make manoeuvring room.
  2. Tack, then reach back towards the casualty.
  3. Turn onto a slow close reach; stop alongside.

Williamson turn

Power: reciprocal track, useful in poor visibility.

  1. Rudder hard over towards the side of the fall.
  2. At 60° deviation, put the rudder hard opposite.
  3. At 20° short of reciprocal, rudder amidships; steady on reciprocal.

Anderson turn

Power: immediate action with the casualty in sight.

  1. Rudder hard over towards the person.
  2. Continue the turn, keeping the person in sight.
  3. At about 250° deviation, rudder amidships and stop propulsion; adapt the approach.

Scharnow turn

Power: delayed discovery, not an immediate fall.

  1. Rudder hard over; turn through 240°.
  2. Put the rudder hard opposite.
  3. At 20° short of reciprocal, rudder amidships; steady on reciprocal.

Frequently asked questions

What should you do first?

Shout the alarm, throw flotation and appoint a continuous lookout. Mark MOB and organise the return and recovery.

Which sailing turn should you use?

Choose the method practised on your boat. Quick-stop stays close; reach–tack–reach avoids a gybe but travels farther.

When is a Williamson turn useful?

It brings you back onto the reciprocal track, especially when visual contact is lost or visibility is poor.

When should you use Anderson or Scharnow?

Anderson suits an immediate, visible casualty. Scharnow is for delayed discovery and is unsuitable for an immediate fall.

Is MOB always a MAYDAY?

Use MAYDAY when grave and imminent danger requires immediate help; PAN PAN is urgency below that threshold. Do not delay a justified distress call.

What does 1–10–1 mean?

It is an approximate cold-water memory aid, not a countdown or survival guarantee. A lifejacket and rapid, safe recovery matter immediately.

Does the Oscar flag replace a radio call?

No. Oscar signals “Man overboard” under the International Code of Signals; it does not summon help like a distress radio call.

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