Person Overboard Skills Workshop

Person Overboard Recovery: Skills Workshop

Knowing how to safely recover a crew member from the water is one of the most important skills in sailing.

This 3.5-hour workshop is designed for competent crew members who want to learn and practice Person Overboard (POB) recovery — a required skill for the DSC Skipper Checkout.

What You’ll Learn

You’ll gain hands-on experience and practical knowledge, including:

• What to do immediately if someone falls overboard
• How to execute a Quick Stop recovery (with multiple practice runs)
• What to do if your return approach is too fast or too slow
• How to safely assist a crew member back onto the boat
• What safety equipment is available on DSC keelboats and how to use it
• How to make an emergency call over the VHF radio

You will also be introduced to the Figure 8 recovery method, another effective way to return to a person in the water under sail.

How the Workshop Works

The session begins on land with a brief chalk talk outlining the recovery procedures.

You’ll then spend the majority of the workshop on the water practicing the maneuvers. Each participant will receive a handout diagramming the recovery process for future reference.

Prerequisites

This is not a beginner course. Participants should feel comfortable with:

• Tacking
• Jibing
• Basic helm skills (steering and trimming on all points of sail)
• Wind awareness
• Rigging and derigging a small keelboat
• Basic sailing vocabulary (parts of the boat)

Course Details

• Audience: Adult Education (participants must be at least 16 years old)
• Length: 3.5 hours (no meal break)
• Availability: Participants must be available for the full session, as boats will spend most of the time on the water
• Boats Used: J/22 or Sonar keelboats — stable, heavy-keel boats that will not tip over during your sail

For family-based sailing education options, please email info@downtownsailing.org.

Location & Arrival

• Parking is available in the gravel lot at the Baltimore Museum of Industry (BMI).
• Classes meet behind the BMI pavilion near the gate to the Downtown Sailing Center main dock.
• Please arrive a few minutes early to check in and meet your instructor.

What to Bring & Wear

• Close-toed shoes (required)
• Weather-appropriate clothing (it feels cooler on the water!)
• Full water bottle
• Sunglasses, hat, sunscreen
• A great attitude

Life jackets are required and will be provided.

Note: The on-site restroom is a port-a-potty.

Registration & Policies

• Payment is due at the time of registration. Space is limited — reserve your spot early.
• If the workshop is full, you may join the waitlist. We will contact you if space becomes available or additional boats are added.
• There is a firm $35 administrative fee per course for switching dates or cancelling.
• Refunds are not guaranteed for cancellations within 14 days of the class start date.

Please review the full cancellation policy and additional information on our Adult Ed FAQ page before registering.