What Is MOB (Man Overboard)?
The most time-critical emergency in sailing - a procedure where the three reactions in the first five seconds decide everything that follows.
MOB (man overboard) means a person has fallen into the water from a vessel underway, and it is the most time-critical emergency in marine work. In a rough sea, a person's head can disappear behind a few wave lengths, so the three reactions in the first five seconds decide everything that follows.
The first three actions must be memorised.
The first three reactions
Shout: warn everyone by shouting 'man overboard!'
Mark: one person keeps eyes on the casualty at all times, points continuously, and does nothing else.
Throw: throw any lifebuoy, cushion, or anything that floats into the water (it both keeps them afloat and acts as a marker).
When coming alongside under power, there is one fatal rule: the propeller must always be in neutral beside the casualty. The MOB button on the chartplotter locks in the coordinates at that moment, and the turning manoeuvre brings the boat back.
Prevention is always stronger than rescue: wear a harness at night and in heavy weather, never go alone outside the cockpit, and make guests stay seated while under way. Once a season, a 10-minute drill (throwing a fender overboard, assigning lookout, turning back) teaches the crew to act with clear roles instead of panic. And if nobody has thought in advance about getting the person back on deck (ladder, davit, block and tackle), the second emergency begins.