My quick notes and feelings:
1) It should be mandatory for distance races that each crew has a VHF on their person. We try to do this for even our Tuesday night racing, but it doesn't always happen... But the radios will be handheld - pick one as if your life, not your wallet, depends on it. Top models these days have a low and high power setting (typically 1 and 5 watt), which although not what you'd get on a fixed mount is better than some handhelds that only have a low power setting. Remember that VHF is line of sight as well. Practical sailor recently had a good test of high end water proof handhelds (which actually proved to be waterproof this time, an improvement).
2) Knives - I feel that any knife that you plan to use to free yourself should not be a folding knife. If one of your hands are what's trapped, you can't bring the knife into play. A fixed blade knife mounted in a fashion that either hand can get to it is a must.
3) People separated from boats - I was starting to think that a good idea for us to carry in distance races are the throwable lines that are carried on big boats for COB. I'm not talking lifeslings here, but the small packs that have a line stowed inside that you throw to the person separated from the boat. I'm thinking one on deck, and one affixed under the tramp.
Overkill? Maybe. But this last weekend's race, combined with other stories about sailors separated from boats has me thinking it's not.
At this past Saturday's distance race, after rounding the downwind mark, we turned upwind, were both on the wire in building winds and seas when the crew trap line failed dummping the crew off the boat. I kept the boat upright, but in that short amount of time some distance was put on the crew. Fortunately he wasn't hurt, and floating high and continually waving an arm so that I could keep a fix on him. Even so, there were times where I couldn't see him due to the waves. I made one circle back to him, parked, but in the conditions the boat still moved away faster than he could swim to it. I made another circle, coming closer, and he was able to grab the footstrap and pull himself on while I kept the boat secure.
Two observations about this - 1) I quickly realized that in those conditions, getting the boat close enough to him was dangerous. I needed to be close, but any goof and I could have hit him. 2) If I had something I could easily grab and throw the difficulty of this whole thing would have been dramatically easier. Now, on the boat was a throwable, and I could have rigged a line we had stowed for towing and such (this was to be my next attempt followed by calls for help if this failed). But If I could have grabbed one of these self contained throwing lines it would have gone so much better. Also, if the boat was turtled, I would have somehow get that stuff off the submerged side of the boat to use it. One of these throwable line packs on the underside would be ready to use quickly. So, lesson one, have a line already tied to the throwable - treat it like it can be used, not simply to meet regs.
Just some thoughts. By the way, when this happened there were other boats in the area. Nobody checked on us. But it may not have been obvious there was trouble because we did not capsize - the only hint that something was not right was the jib being furled and the boat sailing in circles. Maybe I should have made a call immediately to alert boats in the area? I didn't want to do that unless necessary, but...
Even though we were able to re-rig the traps, I decided to call off our effort as we were off our game and because the thought started to run through my mind that if it happened again in the building conditions near the upwind mark we might have a different outcome, or would need to invoke assistance. But that was simply the call for that day in that situation.
