thrown as near the casualty as possible by other crewmembers. This may include a horseshoe buoy or lifebuoy, a danbuoy or man overboard pole, and even a floating smoke signal. If the equipment exists, man overboard alerts are to be triggered on whatever electronic gear is available including GPS receivers and DSC radio transmitters. Quick stop or crash stop The most direct action is to stop the boat immediately, very near to the casualty. This can be done by immediately tacking the bow of the boat through the wind without handling the jib sheets, so that the boat is effectively hove to. In some circumstances, this may be enough, and the casualty can be recovered as the boat drifts back down onto them. In many cases, however, the manoeuvre will have left the boat too far away for that. In this case, the mainsail is sheeted in hard and the turn continued until the boat circles, the wind is jibed across the stern and the boat is sailed downwind, past the casualty again and finally brought to rest by turning upwind again. It is recommended not to adjust the sails for efficient downwind sailing, so that too much speed is not built up when approaching the casualty. The main advantages of this method are its simplicity (making it ideal for short-handed crews), and the fact that the boat does not need to be maneuvered far away of the casualty (which reduces the likelihood that the crew may lose visual contact). Reach-turn-reach The more traditional maneuver is more time consuming and requires more sailing skill, but is more flexible and less likely to fail as it gives the helmsman more time to make adjustments and corrections to the course and the approach. It is more suitable for the open sea and rougher, windier conditions. Immediately after the accident, the boat is put onto a beam reach away from the casualty, with a crewmember maintaining constant visual contact. Once there is room to maneuver, the boat is either tacked or jibed back towards the casualty. It is important that the casualty is approached on a close reach, so that wind can be spilled from the sails in order to slow down and stop on station. Helmsmen are advised to test this during the approach by spilling wind on the way, and losing ground to leeward to correct the course if necessary, to