Will this shift put people in danger?

by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
When I fell overboard on a Caribbean bareboat charter, due to a failed lifeline lashing, I was holding a small cooler. Conditions were mild, and my ‘flotation device’ kept me buoyant. I couldn’t hear what was said onboard, but I suspect “dumbass” was part of the hail. I survived.

Yelling ‘man overboard’ is as rooted in sailing as rum, but the world is sharpening its pencil on sexist language. That effort changes sportsmanship to fair play, middleman to intermediary, and mankind to humankind. And forget about seamanship.

The Royal Yachting Association now considers the phrase ‘man overboard’ to be offensive and has suggested that it should instead be replaced with ‘person in water’ in an inclusive language guide. Jeffrey Tyrrel is worried this shift may put people in danger:

“Woke, non-woke, male, female, non-binary, cisgender, transgender, gay, straight, LGBQT… it just doesn’t matter. The term ‘MAN OVERBOARD’ is universal and the mere mention sends shivers of fear down a sailor’s back…as it should.

“Removing the term to placate, regardless, starts to water down the necessary urgency every sailor should take as if it is a matter of life or death. If it is of such a pressing concern, please just consider ‘MAN’ to be a truncated ‘HUMAN’. No offence to the Furry intended nor implied.”