Chat 21 - Updates to Crew Overboard Techniques and Equipment
September 16, 2026 · 53 min · 767 views
What this video covers
A crew-overboard seminar hosted by Frank Mummert and Tom Tursi of Maryland School of Sailing reviews what has changed in COB prevention, equipment, and statistics since roughly 2010.2:14
Coast Guard data shows 75–80% of reported crew-overboard incidents result in a fatality, and about 80% of those fatal incidents involve alcohol.4:07 Most fatal overboards occur on boats under 26 feet — kayaks, canoes, and stand-up paddleboards — and a spike in incidents during 2020–2021 tracks the pandemic-era surge of inexperienced boaters.5:30 Unreported incidents mean the true numbers are higher.43:36
On the equipment side, the discussion covers electronic kill-switch fobs that mark a MOB waypoint on a multifunction display, and two autopilots — NKE and Raymarine — that can stop or round up the boat when the fob moves beyond range.19:57 Raymarine's integration with its multifunction display and an optional overboard camera is noted, along with the risk that a circling autopilot could eventually run down the person in the water.23:43 PLBs and AIS SARTs are compared for solo versus crewed passages; recent rule changes now allow the two to be combined in a single device.41:30 A new PFD design that shifts the tether attachment from front to back on inflation — keeping the victim face-up while being towed — is described.30:05
Tom Tursi argues that technology addresses consequences rather than causes, and that seamanship training to prevent falling overboard matters more than any electronic recovery system.32:26 The session closes on whether a crew-overboard situation qualifies as a Mayday call — defined as any radio call where loss of life is possible.44:20
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