MOB recovery success story from Chicago Yacht Club's Race to Mackinac 2024

In the thick of Saturday night storms with winds approaching 40 knots, Callisto crewmember Shawn Dougherty was moving forward on the deck to assist the spinnaker takedown and got knocked overboard when a large gust jolted the boat.

Dougherty, one of 2200 sailors competing in the 115th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, was not tethered to the boat, but was wearing a self-inflating PFD and equipped with a waist bag that contained a personal AIS (automatic identification system) crew overboard beacon, a powerful strobe light, knife, and whistle. The personal AIS beacon is required safety equipment for the Race to Mackinac and several other offshore races, and upon activation it sets off an AIS signal to notify nearby vessels of distress.

As soon as the man overboard (MOB) distress call went out, at least three boats in the vicinity responded to offer assistance, including the Santa Cruz 52 Madcap owned by John and Marian Hoskins. Due to the inclement weather, John Hoskins was already positioned down below at the navigation station to monitor the radio, a standard practice he does during inclement weather.

"Majority of the time it's a boring job, but it's important to have that designated person on board, exactly for this reason," Hoskins said. "The lesson here is I was ready for this call. We quickly established we were the closest boat to offer assistance and my crew jumped into action."

The crew doused Madcap's sails and headed toward Dougherty's location under power. Hoskins said it was easy to see Dougherty from quite a distance away. "He was lit up like a Christmas tree."

Hoskins estimated the MOB recovery from first alert to hoisting Dougherty on board took just 20 minutes. "Everyone knew exactly what to do. Who's the spotter, who's operating the searchlight, who's in charge of the lifesling. We had our best driver on the helm, so the approach was nothing to worry about. We were able to clearly communicate with Shawn in the water and could tell he was calm, he was not injured and very much in control, which helped to release our tension.

"It was a textbook recovery, thanks to the great preparation and coordinated teamwork."

During Tuesday's award ceremony at Mission Point Resort, US Sailing awarded the Madcap team the Arthur B. Hansen rescue medal for outstanding seamanship, watchkeeping and situational awareness resulting in the rescue of a fellow sailor.

From Callisto's perspective as the incident took place, owner Jim Murray said he saw Dougherty fall off the boat and the crew immediately hit the MOB button to lock in Dougherty's location.

"This is a great example of why these safety rules exist, and why it is so important before every race to discuss the boat protocols, rehearse scenarios and have confidence everyone knows their roles and responsibilities," said Murray.

After Callisto resolved its rudder issue that initially prevented them from immediately turning back for their crewmate, they returned to the vicinity. After Dougherty was safely on board Madcap, the two skippers agreed the conditions were not favorable for a transfer and Dougherty remained a guest on board Madcap. Due to racing regulations, he was not allowed to participate as an active crew member.

This was Dougherty's third Chicago Mac, but he and the Callisto team have done multiple offshore races on the West Coast and around the world. "Every single event we go through the same preparation and practice," said Dougherty. "We do so much racing together as a team but we practice this [scenario] over and over again."

Winn Soldani, chair of the 115th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust commended both teams. "We do our best to ensure the sailors and boats are extremely well equipped and prepared. From required Safety at Sea seminars, man overboard drills and an extensive list of equipment - this is exactly why all of it is worth it," Soldani said.

"There's a reason offshore sailors get along so well," Murray said. "When you go to sea, you're putting your trust in not only your crewmates, but all the people that you're racing against.

And having that trust, not just that they're going to come get you, but that they're going to drop out of the race potentially to help, is so reassuring.

"Madcap was incredible. You can't thank somebody enough for something like that. It is one of those things that's very heartwarming about the sport. And I think it separates sailing from other sports; that this really is a big family out there when you're on the water together."

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