Lopez Island weekend and LifeSling practice

We journeyed over to Spencer Spit on Lopez Island this weekend to see some friends who are road tripping around the US right now. The highlight was getting them aboard Aeolus and having a wonderful sail around my favorite stretch of water in the San Juans. The wind was 10-15, which was perfect for our neophyte guests, and when close hauled they got to experience the groove of sailing. They were so nervous of being seasick they took pills despite us reassuring them that this was an inland sea and thus no waves to disturb their inner ear. Everyone had a great time, and returned happy for a lovely evening at their campsite.

Today, Sunday, we took some time in the morning to review various safety considerations aboard the boat. We sat the boys down and discussed fires, leaks of various sizes and finally MOB. The MOB practice began with us getting underway. First we rehearsed the steps and concerns verbally. Then we threw over one of our Type IV cushions and deployed the LifeSling to practice what that would be like. Having done this successfully, I decided it was time for me to jump in myself. So I went below to don my farmer john wetsuit, my swimming cap and my inflatable life jacket. Everyone felt ready, and so we motored up to 5 knots to simulate real conditions and I went mid-ships and jumped off the pilothouse with no hesitation.

I had never inflated my inflatable PFD in the water before and was happy to see that it performed great. It floated my head and upper torso fairly high in the water and I could rest my head back comfortably in that position. The water temperature here is about 48 degrees right now, and so my arms were the only thing to get cold while I waited for the family to rescue me!



I waited and watched as Amy deployed the LifeSling and began to circle around me. I acted as though I was severely hyporthermic and not able to do much. Still, in only a few minutes in this calm water, the sling had reached me and I put it over my head no problem and Amy had pulled me onto the side of the boat. We then had her attach the main halyard to the D-rings on the sling and winch me up as though I was too cold to help myself. In reality, I would have had no trouble climbing up the swim ladder after only a few minutes in the water.

She hoisted me right up over the lifelines, and I was back on my feet and dry moments later. This practice meant a lot to everyone involved. Although we have practiced picking up cushions and such for years, this was the first time we simulated a real MOB rescue, I'm a bit ashamed to say. Amy and the boys now have confidence that they know what to do if Dad falls overboard, and I have confidence they would quickly get me back aboard.

It was a great and beneficial weekend, and we are now only weeks away from our big trip!