sail2wind said:
One important factor is your GPS position. There is a story in "It's Your Boat Too" about a wife whose husband had a heart attack and she calls VHF 16. Coast Guard asked her coordinates and she began to describe the scenery around her, i.e house with red roof.... true story.
Another thought is the conditions that would precipitate a man overboard. If your are in big sea and wind, do not release your dinghy. You may never find it again. Generally, going overboard does not happen in calm seas.
SailLOrion has the absolutely correct procedures.
Just my thoughts but if you're in big seas and you release the dinghy near where the person fell overboard and you can't find the dinghy, you're not finding the person that fell overboard either so the dinghy is the least of you're problems.
