Melbourne Solo Sailor Survives Falling in Water

[LifePart2]

Being totally paranoid about falling overboard I just installed a 'Hand of Neptune' onto LifePart2.

It is not a total solution, as it still requires someone onboard to stop the boat and get you aboard, though it will sound a very loud alarm to wake said person up. But the main goal is to prevent you and the boat being separated. It does this by dropping a life ring into the water, along with 200ft of floating line, if the sensor in your pocket hits the water. You then need to grab that line and hang on without drowning (turn onto your back) until they do stop the boat.

No doubt there could be some way to have it turn off the engine and put in a crash tack (ie heave to) if there is no one onboard. but at the moment that option does not exist.

We only just installed it, so still plan to do some more testing with it once we get back to the Bahamas in a few months.

As for this guy, why would I want to send him money to cover his stupidity in not wearing a harness? Just saying

[requiem]

One of the boats I sail on has wireless fobs for the autopilot. I haven't experimented with its range and waterproofness, but if kept on you it would seem a likely way to get the boat to turn back or heave to.

[NevilleCat]

If your boat had a tiller and tillerpilot then it would be feasible to have a floating line set up so that it would lift the tillerpilot arm off the tiller if you could catch it. She's bound to round up at some stage at least when left to her own devices...

[gruffa]

Yeh, fishing off the swim platform, untethered, single handed was foolish, and I'm sure he realises that now.
I'm sure the 60 Minutes payment will cover his expences.

I want to hear the details of this story though:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-...oard/101036004

[Cynara]

Those of us who used windvanes would be out of luck. No electronic devices to disable the windvane

[Cloroxbottle]

Originally Posted by Buzzman

But, given the tech we have available these days - specifically things like MOB alarms worn on harness or clothing, could not such a system be designed to send a wifi sugnal to both engine controls and autopilot to have the vessel either heave to, or circle...??

Designing a device that would kill the engine(s) would be fairly simple, I think. There's already one that sounds an alarm if a crewmember goes overboard, and developing a unit that would close a valve in the fuel supply line should be fairly simple.

The autopilot programming under power would also be possible but more complicated.

Under sail, it's a whole other level of complexity as you would have to somehow manipulate winches which would require them to be electric winches.

[boatman61]

Ahh.. The sailorless boat..

[Buzzman]

Originally Posted by Cloroxbottle

Designing a device that would kill the engine(s) would be fairly simple, I think. There's already one that sounds an alarm if a crewmember goes overboard, and developing a unit that would close a valve in the fuel supply line should be fairly simple.

The autopilot programming under power would also be possible but more complicated.

Under sail, it's a whole other level of complexity as you would have to somehow manipulate winches which would require them to be electric winches.

Yes, I appreciate the increased degree of difficulty with winches, but I know of someone who has developed a remote control for tiller pilots - so you can make minor adjustments to the heading from your bunk, or from the bow or whatever - so if THAT is possible, then surely 'mapping out' a "turn 180 deg on course" could not be that much more difficult...???

Perhaps even a "heave too" function?

Again, it's ticky as you need one of the sails to 'back', so the electric winch option raises it's ugly head, but a command that turned the rudder via the tiller pilot or A/P in the opposite direction to wind (presupposes info stream from wind indicator) should be possible?

Reckon if the EU mandated it for catamarans or any vessel fitted with auto-pilot it would happen pretty quickly....

[AKA-None]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Ahh.. The sailorless boat..

I think I mentioned that before

How much automation before you end up with an autonomous boat

So remind me why we sail again?

[Cynara]

With everything that is available it is pretty much automated already.

Once all the satellites are in place you will loose the excitement of discovery

What is in the next cove just look at Google maps.. discover a new Anchorage right there on Google.

[JPA Cate]

One can choose not to watch. Just like TV. Or sporting events you don't like.

Ann

[gonesail]

catching a fish with all sails up and under power? i guess

[JPA Cate]

Sure, but one can heave to to land the fish. Open ocean fishing, usually they are good sized game fish. Some of them, you'd prefer to tire them first. Friend of ours had a large dorado go below decks and utterly destroy a salon table and other furniture. A tired fish is a good fish.

Ann

[Cynara]

Yes you can, but will people ignore the temptation. Remains to be seen