Single-handed MOB Drills

We went out on the bay, Hove To, and had lunch for 1/2 hour to gain confidence in Mandala's behavior while hove-to. Afterwards we practiced MOB drills. Specifically for the case when there are only two people on board and one falls off. It was interesting because we had to learn (make up) a technique for single handing the boat without the Autopilot.

What we came up with was as follows. After the person falls off the boat, come to a close haul, sail away for about 5 boat lengths, and then turn thru the wind, backwinding the jib and essentially heaving to on the reverse tack. That gives you a stable boat, and time to move forward and tack the jibsheets. Then after the boat starts sailing again, you sail on a beam reach slightly past the MOB and downwind of them, before turning up again into the wind, back winding the jib again and essentially heaving to again, this time, hopefully, right next to the MOB. Since you didn't let out the main, the boat keeps sailing, albeit slowly with the backed jib, so there is a sense of control throughout.

I don't know if this is the official way to do it, but it worked, and some idea of how to respond is better than none, so we practiced 3 each in the bay, and then sailed out to the ocean and practiced 8 each in the 2-4' swells and 15 knot wind which was decidedly more challenging. Good practce, and good experience overall. And now we also have some rudimentary sense of how to single hand the boat.