Man Overboard Boating Rescue Turns

Any situation where there is a MOB (Man Overboard) is cause for concern. The following turns are recognised as the best ways to ensure that the situation doesn’t turn into a tragedy.

To manoeuvre closer to the person's location, implementations of the principles described are: the Quick Turn (also known as the Q-turn or the Figure eight turn), the Anderson Turn, the Williamson Turn, and the Scharnow Turn. Each of these turns is best used in their own specific, different circumstances.

One constant to remember when dealing with a man overboard, is to always bring the vessel upwind of the person. Stop the vessel in the water with the person well forward of the propellers.
Naturally, all of these turns and rescues are aided through the use of MOB alarms such as a Mobilarm PLB (Personal Locator Beacon), or an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon). Learn more about both the Mobilarm 406 PLB and other standard EPIRB devices here.

The Quick Turn
The Quick Turn is the traditional response to a man overboard (MOB) emergency on a sailboat. Despite many new approaches, it is still a robust strategy and often the best method. Certainly when the crew is short handed, or when the vessel is in heavy weather, the Quick Turn method has a lot of merit because it avoids a jibe.
The Quick Turn is essentially a figure eight. On a sailboat it consists of the following steps:

1. Call loudly "Crew Overboard".
2. Assign a person to keep the victim in sight and clearly point towards him or her.
3. Hit the MOB button on the GPS.
4. Start the engine and leave it in idle.
5. Change course to a beam reach and hold for 15 seconds.
6. Head into the wind and tack, leave the jib fluttering.
7. Veer off until the boat is at a beam reach.
8. Turn up wind until the vessel is pointing at the victim, at this point the vessel should be on a close reach.
9. Slacken the main sail until the vessel comes to a stop with the victim in the lee side of the boat.
10. Hoist the victim on board with a sling, the spinnaker halyard can be very helpful if it is available.

The Anderson Turn
The Anderson Turn is a manoeuvre used to bring a ship or boat back to a point it previously passed through, often for the purpose of recovering a man overboard, an emergency situation in almost all circumstances.
The Anderson Turn is most appropriate when the point to be reached remains clearly visible. For other situations, a Scharnow turn or a Williamson turn might be more appropriate. Both will require more time before returning to the point in question.

1. If the turn is in response to a man overboard, stop the engines.
2. Put the rudder over full. If in response to a man overboard, put the rudder toward the person (e.g., if the person fell over the starboard side, put the rudder over full to starboard).
3. When clear of the person, go all ahead full, still using full rudder.
4. After deviating from the original course by about 240 degrees (about 2/3 of a complete circle), back the engines 2/3 or full.
5. Stop the engines when the target point is 15 degrees off the bow. Ease the rudder and back the engines as required.

The Williamson Turn
The Williamson Turn is a manoeuvre used to bring a ship or boat under power back to a point it previously passed through, often for the purpose of recovering a man overboard. It was named for John Williamson, USNR, who used it in 1943. However, according to Uncommon Carriers by John McPhee, the manoeuvre was originally called the "Butakov pipe" and was used in the Russo-Japanese War as a way of keeping guns at the same distance from an enemy.
The Williamson Turn is most appropriate at night or in reduced visibility, or if the point can be allowed to go (or already has gone) out of sight, but is still relatively near. For other situations, an Anderson turn (Quickest method) or a Scharnow turn might be more appropriate. The choice of which method will in large part depend on the prevailing wind and weather conditions.

1. Put the rudder over full.
2. If in response to a man overboard, put the rudder toward the person (e.g., if the person fell over the starboard side, put the rudder over full to starboard).
3. After deviating from the original course by about 60 degrees, shift the rudder full to the opposite side.
4. When heading about 20 degrees short of the reciprocal, put the rudder amidships so that vessel will turn onto the reciprocal course.
5. Bring the vessel upwind of the person, stop the vessel in the water with the person along-side, well forward of the propellers.

The Scharnow Turn
The Scharnow Turn is a manoeuvre used to bring a ship or boat back to a point it previously passed through, often for the purpose of recovering a man overboard. It was developed by and named for Ulrich Scharnow.
The Scharnow Turn is most appropriate when the point to be reached is significantly further astern than the vessel's turning radius. For other situations, an Anderson turn or a Williamson turn might be more appropriate.

1. Put the rudder over hard. If in response to a man overboard, put the rudder toward the person (e.g., if the person fell over the starboard side, put the rudder over hard to starboard).
2. After deviating from the original course by about 240 degrees, shift the rudder hard to the opposite side.
3. When heading about 20 degrees short of the reciprocal course, put the rudder amidships so that vessel will turn onto the reciprocal course.