Man Overboard - Cassidy's Version, 5/20/2014

All was well on board as we motor away from Tahuata.  By the time we had gotten in the lee of the neighboring island the main was up and we decided the spinnaker would be better than the Genny in the lighter winds.  First time with the spinnaker was a flop when the port knot came undone and the sail flapped roughly in the wind.  Under the captain's commands we pulled in the starboard ropes and contained the situation quite well (if I may say so myself). Try two and its up!  While Mama ran around sticking the younger minions in life jackets, Padre and I adjusted the spinnaker ropes to prevent it from collapsing.  At this point in time, I don't remember where I was standing or what I was doing, but -as both parents recall- a loose spinnaker rope had pulled tight and somersaulted Innocence over the life lines. Padre called out for someone to jump overboard and an instant later Mama had made an award-winning dive over the 42" lifelines that she has no memory of performing.  I still had no idea someone had gone overboard and thought she had jumped over for another spinnaker rope that freed itself and went for a swim. Of course, I was deeply confused and just stood watching for Mama's head to bob back up. Padre finally shouted, "Man overboard" as I spotted the extra head in the waves. I dodged the headless-chicken-children, leaped into the cockpit and grabbed the first life jacket I could find, chucking out as far as I could.  It landed farther down wind than I hoped so I shouted and pointed in the direction, making sure that Mama saw and understood.  Padre was about to launch a kayak, but thought better of it since it could drift faster than they could swim.  He quickly reviewed the plan.  The remaining children were to point at the two in the water and keep a constant eye on them. Meanwhile, Padre and I were going to let one side of the spinnaker go and gather the other side, just like we had unintentionally done earlier. 

Without question I quickly released the port line while he pulled in the starboard and I ran around to drop the halyard as soon as he had it more-or-less under control.  Both motors were started and the auto helm turned to standby. Unfortunately, the children didn't quite fulfill their duties and the two over-board's had disappeared into the distance. So while Padre spun the boat back to the island, I ran inside for the binoculars.  It took a few extra seconds to spot them, as they would disappear behind the waves.  No more than a minute later I was on the back step pulling up the shoulder straps on Innocence's life jacket.  I was expecting some sort of injuries from getting smacked by the spinnaker lines, but she was perfectly fine, physically and emotionally.  I don't think the whole thing took anymore than five minutes. Luckily, the weather was right for it. The waves weren't very big and the wind was light enough that we could spare the spinnaker.  We also had a buddy boat less than a quarter mile away.  Over all, it was the perfect experience/drill, but I would much prefer if it never happened again.

Cassidy