USE A SAFETY LINE

Asafety line or tether is one of those items you often see in the chandlers but rarely on a motor boat.

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Sailors use them a lot, clipping on when it's windy or at night when the consequences of falling overboard are that much more serious. However, a recent MOB training session with a life-sized dummy highlighted to me just how useful they can be on a motor boat as well. Not only was the dummy very heavy but it was also unable to assist in any way - just like an unconscious MOB. This really highlighted how hard it was to lift the MOB back onto the boat using my one free hand - my other hand was busy hanging onto the boat.

Being safely attached to the boat with a lifeline allowed me to use both hands to help the MOB. I could also use it to attach the MOB to the boat while I worked out how to lift them.

For the exercise, I was using a standard tether with a clip at both ends. These come in various lengths but you can also get elasticated ones with one, two or even three clips. This enables you to attach one of the extra clips to the next point on the boat before removing the previous one so you're always tethered when moving around. That could be useful if, for example, you needed to venture onto the foredeck to sort out a loose anchor on a rough day.