Dog Over Board (D.O.B) practice

While on the way to Bridlington, the conversation turned to what would happen if Svea jumped or was knocked overboard unexpectedly. We therefore decided to have a go at a few D.O.B. manoeuvres and then let Svea go for a swim in order to practice our hoisting technique.

When teaching, recovering the MOB is often added on as a boat hook exercise where a full bucket of water attached to a fender is lifted back on board. Pete broke the boat hook so the Spinnaker halyard was used to reunite our wet 38kg dog with the yacht.

Jen struggled winching Svea back on board. This made us realise that there would be no way that she would manage Pete, who is double possibly triple Svea's weight with wet oilies using the yachts current system.

Before the trip, Jen and Pete had the privilege of sailing with the Met Police Sailing Club and testing out their newly developed 'handy billy' device, with a 6:1 lifting ratio, enabling easy recovery on board. Lesson learned from this exercise - Jen needs to start practising her push-ups each day, or a 'handy billy' needs to be purchased asap.