Small watercraft system and method of controlling small watercraft

A small watercraft system comprising:

• a watercraft body:
• a watercraft body manipulation structure that is mounted on the watercraft body and through which a watercraft body manipulation command is input by an operator;
• a falling overboard detector that is mounted on the watercraft body and that detects that an operator of the small watercraft has fallen overboard;
• a falling overboard location specification section that is mounted on the watercraft body and that specifies a falling overboard location of the operator when the operator's falling overboard is detected by the falling overboard detector;
• a storage section that is mounted on the watercraft body and that stores the falling overboard location specified by the falling overboard location specification section;
• a drive source that allows the watercraft body to plane;
• a steering structure that allows the watercraft body to be steered;
• and
• circuitry that is mounted on the watercraft body and that is configured to control the drive source and the steering structure so that the watercraft body returns to the falling overboard location stored by the storage section, wherein
• when controlling the drive source and the steering structure so that the watercraft body returns to the falling overboard location, the circuitry is configured to control the drive source so that propulsion speed of the watercraft body becomes lower when a separation distance between the falling overboard location and the watercraft body is less than a predetermined determination distance than when the separation distance is equal to or greater than the determination distance.

A small watercraft system comprising:

• a watercraft body;
• a watercraft body manipulation structure that is mounted on the watercraft body and through which a watercraft body manipulation command is input by an operator;
• a falling overboard detector that is mounted on the watercraft body and that detects that an operator of the small watercraft has fallen overboard;
• a falling overboard location specification section that is mounted on the watercraft body and that specifies a coordinate location of the watercraft body when the operator's falling overboard is detected by the falling overboard detector;
• and
• a storage section that is mounted on the watercraft body and that stores the coordinate location specified by the falling overboard location specification section.