eSail Man Overboard Simulator

by Chris Baldwin 17 Jan 2020 18:31 AEDT

eSail Sailing Simulator © Chris Baldwin

eSail has recently launched a new 'Man Overboard' (MOB) add-on for eSail Sailing Simulator. The add-on has been developed with the help of marine safety expert Keith Colwell, author of the RYA Sea Survival Handbook.

It includes tutorials, challenges and random triggering of MOB during normal sailing. The simulation includes heaving-to, deploying equipment and recovery of the MOB under power and sail. The add-on can be purchased for £6.99 with eSail Sailing Simulator available for £19.99.

The new Man Overboard Add-on includes:

MOB Quick Stop Method (Under Power). This tutorial takes you through the process of MOB recovery including heaving-to, triggering a DSC distress alert, deploying the danbuoy & horseshoe lifebuoy, starting the engine and returning to the casualty under power.
MOB Quick Stop Method (Under Sail). This tutorial begins with heaving-to but when you try to start the engine it fails. The lesson then follows through the process of making a figure-of-eight turn then stopping and recovering the MOB under sail.
Live Sailing mode. In Live Sailing you can opt to randomly trigger man overboard. This is a great way of building your ability to react in the correct way during an emergency. You can change the frequency of the random MOB as well as how often the engine should fail.

eSail Sailing Simulator - photo © Chris Baldwin

There are also challenges where you can pit your skills against other eSail users. There is a choice of 'Under Power' and 'Under Sail'.

Man Overboard was created in close collaboration with Keith Colwell. Keith has worked for many years as a reporter and editor for sailing journals. He has also worked for the RNLI for 15 years and during that time trained and managed RNLI Sea Safety and Community Safety volunteers to give advice to yachtsmen, boat users and the general public on how to stay safe when on or by the water. He became a RYA sea survival, powerboat and marine VHF radio instructor/assessor in 2004, while working for the RNLI, and currently works as a freelance instructor.

The add-on continues to build the training capabilities of eSail, which was launched in 2018. eSail is a highly realistic simulation aimed at the cruising sailor wishing to refresh or learn new skills.

eSail includes a complete sailing course which can support certified training. "Learn Yachting with eSail" has over 20 interactive tutorials written by and narrated by experts such as Keith Colwell, Jon Dobbin (Ocean Yachtmaster) and Hannah White (the Guinness Book of Records holder for the fastest sailing dinghy crossing of the English Channel). The course covers everything from raising the sail through to using the chart, anchoring, mooring and more advanced sail trim.

eSail also provides plenty of entertainment: races, steering challenges, passage planning - even anchoring challenges.