I sail smaller 15' Albacore dinghies, and we pick up our POBs on the windward side of the boat. That avoids having them run over by the side-sliding boat, as well as the serious possibility of capsizing from one large sailor hauling a second large sailor out of the water to leeward. I hold the mainsheet in one hand while helping the POB into the boat with the other. But my main difference with your approach is the APPROACH. If you try to approach a POB on a close-hauled course, you have great "brakes" - you can slow and stop just fine - but you have inadequate "gas" if you are going too slow. MUCH better to approach on a close reach. You can still slow and stop - if necessary by pushing the boom out to leeward - AND you also have a powerful gas pedal, sheeting in the main. I don't want to be anywhere near "in irons" when I'm sailing, and especially when doing something as sensitive as picking up a POB. I admit that sailors on a keelboat can stay right-side up your way. But we all know that dinghy sailors who switch to keelboats go to the head of the class (or the fleet), while keelboat sailors who switch to dinghies swim a lot while they acquire the skills. So why not teach a system that works well universally? With your 7 boat-length distance, there's lots of opportunities to test the "gas" and "brakes" on the approach and tweak the approach if necessary.

thanks so much this is great!

This is a great demo, but why aren't they wearing PFDs?

Great job for very experienced and practiced sailors, but for most boats with one very experienced captain and usually one or a few other people with varying experience and less knowledge, paired with a little sea state, low visibility /night, white caps, this is a great way to loose someone at sea. Getting out of earshot, over 100 feet from someone, loosing sight, expecting to keep track of an imaginary disappearing line in waves, say goodbye to the person overboard. Heave to, stay close to the person, maybe you can stay close enough they can yell to you, swim to you, good chance the boat will drift down on the person. Sailing 7 boat lengths from somone who fell overboard aT night into cold water is a death sentence.

Dude… where’s their life jacket!! Good demo … but pretty lame oversight in safety.