On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 22:00:50 -0700, Chuck Gould
wrote:

Who's had some actual training or hands-on experience in this field?
Tom, maybe?

You have to admire the guy's courage for jumping in, but a different
decision would oviously have been better. I guess the time to mentally
rehearse for these situations is before they occur.

USCG MOB drills do not include anyone going into the water. One person
on board the vessel points to the person in the water (PIW),
continuously updated the coxswain on distance and bearing. Other c rew
members toss PFD's, or anything that floats to the PIW. Once the boat
is close enough to have crew pick up the PIW, he's retrieved. If the
person is in distress, having the boat alongside the PIW is
preferrable to having isolated crew members in the water.