A situation that we anticipate as soon as we rig the spinnaker
Downwind sailing is often accompanied by a spinnaker if the conditions are right to hoist it. Some people are sometimes reluctant to hoist it, as the spinnaker can quickly become a source of complications in sailing. Who has never had his spinnaker in a coconut shell, or wrapped around the forestay? Unlike other sails, when you rig the spinnaker, you anticipate situations that are less easy to manage. This is why it is customary not to put stopper knots on the arms, sheets and spinnaker halyard. The interest is to be able to release the spinnaker completely in case of overpowering, trawling or man overboard for example.
The reaction must be quick
Downwind under spinnaker, we can consider that you generally exceed 6 to 7 knots. The boat moves away from the man overboard very quickly. You have to react quickly so that you don't lose sight of the person! Even if a crew member will have the role of keeping visual contact, his task will very quickly prove to be complicated or even impossible.
Ideally, you should be able to lower the spinnaker quickly when luffing. This is why the halyard and the boom must always be ready to be spun. However, beware of trawling, if the halyard is slackened too quickly, the crew members in charge of bringing the sail back on board will not keep up. But if the halyard is not released early enough, there is a real risk of luffing. This is why it is important to practice this maneuver before the situation occurs.
Abandon your spinnaker to facilitate your maneuver
A solution can be to let the sheet, arm and halyard go in order to let the spinnaker go. This maneuver is still interesting if there are no stopper knots that would take too long to untie. Obviously, it is a decision that can impress and make people doubt. Few people have practiced recovering a man overboard by abandoning their spinnaker. In an emergency, one generally prefers not to venture into the unknown. However, one could set up the exercise, attaching a large buoy to the sail in order to be able to recover it. However, it is difficult to guarantee that your sail will come out of this training unscathed!
The first reflexes to remember
During a man overboard recovery maneuver, the first few moments count a lot. If you think you can't keep the man overboard in sight, consider marking the area so that you can locate the wrecked person more quickly later, then carry out all the first good reflexes .
