Recovery of Man Overboard
The loss of any person overboard presents a serious challenge to those remaining on board - to safely position the vessel adjacent to the individual in the water, and to recover him back aboard.
The situation can be even more traumatic if it is the skipper who is lost, with an inexperienced crew on board.

On losing a crew member overboard, other crew should undertake the following actions.
Deploy a lifebuoy, throw bag, rescue quoit etc.

Appoint a crewmember to maintain visual contact with the individual in the water at all times
regardless of the boat’s manoeuvres.

Depending on the type of craft, exercise the required manoeuvre as described in the
previous section.

Having positioned the victim adjacent to the boat, the next problem is to recover him from the water. This may present a significant difficulty depending on the boat’s freeboard, and the physical condition of the person in the water.

If physically capable, re-boarding by means of a suitable boarding ladder is the quickest means of recovery.

For an exhausted or injured crewmember, external means of recovery will be required, such as:
Dedicated recovery sling under the arms of  the individual, using halyards/winches boom etc. to
provide purchase.

Use of victim’s safety harness, or PFD fitted with integral harness.

Use of a sail deployed over the side as a scoop, and recovered using the boats running rigging.

Use of an inflatable tender, partially deflated to recover the individual from the sea.

Launch the liferaft and have the victim recovered into it.

On Inflatables one tube may be partially deflated to aid recovery of an injured or unconscious
person. 

Many boats today are equipped with a bathing platform at the stern, which facilitates recovery of persons from the water.

On boats with outboard engines, the engine may be used as an impromptu ladder to re-board, provided the engine is shut down

Be aware of the dangers of hypothermia affecting persons who have been immersed in the sea for a period of time, ensure the casualty is dry and warm – do not issue any alcohol.