News f2s wrote:
"Don White" wrote in message
news:abqDf.3902$VV4.103038@ursa-

As a matter of interest, do all US boats have boarding/bathing
ladders?

In the nice warm Mediterranean, most boats do. Easily the best
and quickest aid to getting someone aboard in most
circumstances.

In the cold waters of UK, they're rare. Perverse? 'Blow up that
dinghy - Fast!'

JimB




In Canada a re-boarding device is a requirement on boats 6
metres or over with a freeboard in excess of .5 metre.
http://boating.ncf.ca/equipment.html


Interesting. But in my opinion the reboarding device has to be
permanently mounted in such a way that a person in the water (as -
falling into the sea while boarding, a common event, even at the
dockside) can immediately swim round to it, drop the ladder and
climb back aboard.

JimB


Yup!
That's why I installed a four rung ss boarding ladder on my transom last
year. I'll keep the little hook model that came with the boat for 'over
the side' boarding in rough seas.

wrote:
...that boarding from the stern is a bad idea...


Jonathan... Can you elaborate on the aforementioned statement?

I think you and/or some others have before... but please refresh
my memory.

Tnx for the tutorial...

Bill


Ever watch your stern bob up & down like a rocking horse at a rough
mooring? midships, the movement is more subdued.

I think and most experts agree that boarding from the stern is a
bad idea in all but the most benign conditions. Certainly there
are times in the Med when it's fine, but other times are not ok.
Warm water isn't the only critieria.

A quick exit from cold water is the most important criterion. The
colder, the quicker the exit must be. For most marina and harbour
dunks, stern boarding is safe, and they're the most common events.
As many people have discovered, it's very difficult to board a
hard dinghy from the water.

If your stern ladder extends about 2 ft deep into the water, stern
boarding becomes safe in a much wider range of conditions. And if
it's unsafe, you can always go back to assisted boarding - over
the side, whatever. If there's someone to assist you. And if
there's time before hypothermia sets in.

JimB

Okay, I almost posted this without prompting, but held off.

Gusty day on Lake Travis TX with peak gusts pushing 32 MPH. Not
dangerous, but not benign either. My wife and I host another
couple on our Catalina 27. We have shut off the motor, hoisted
the main, and I've given the tiller to my friend so that I can
go forward and hoist the small jib. The ladies are having drinks
in the back of the cockpit. We are beating out a channel from the
marina to the main channel where I intend to hoist the jib. I've
unfolded the jib and hanked it on, and am on my knees holding the
jib down while I unwind the jib sheets in preparation for leading
them back to the cockpit when I hear a yell!. The jib is requiring
my full attention to keep it from blowing out from between my knees,
so I ignore the first yell figuring that there is nothing that can
be that pressing at the moment. Another yell for me! I look back
and see that the helmsman is in the water, and the two ladies are
sitting in the back of the cockpit where they cannot easily reach
the tiller!

A couple of quick wraps with the sheets secure the jib to the railing,
and I rush back to grab the tiller. The helmsman is now 30-40 yards
behind us and only 15-20 yards from the side of the channel where the
chop is breaking against a cliff. We do the figure-8 MOB drill for REAL
with a gybe instead of a tack on the backside and iron the boat to a
stop within 10 feet of my dripping ex-helmsman.

Turns out a gust blew his hat off, and he jumped in the water after
it...

And yes we still go sailing with them. Sure was glad for all the times
we played MOB with the channel bouys.

Don W.

Larry wrote:

This newsgroup could sure use a lot more stories like this than it gets....

Thanks, Peter!

"Don White" wrote in message
news:1esDf.3958$VV4.104238@ursa-

Ever watch your stern bob up & down like a rocking horse at a
rough mooring? midships, the movement is more subdued.

If you're talking about routinely boarding a vessel from a tender,
I agree. If you're talking warm water, I agree. Mount from the
beam.

If it's cold water, and you're talking about someone who's in the
water, it's a different matter. Especially if there's no-one else
on board (competent) to help.

You then need a ladder rigged that extends 2ft into the water, or
a soft dinghy in the water which can be boarded from within the
water (and that's not too easy either for some of us). Otherwise
someone on board is rigging slings and stuff, and that takes time.

Younger people are agile enough to cope with shorter ladders and
soft dinghies, but on the cruising boats I've seen a lot of us are
pretty ancient, and I, for one, prefer grabbing a heaving ladder
(with all the risks that entails), to being just a bit too long in
cold water.

JimB

Don W wrote:
Okay, I almost posted this without prompting, but held off.

Gusty day on Lake Travis TX with peak gusts pushing 32 MPH. Not
dangerous, but not benign either. My wife and I host another
couple on our Catalina 27. We have shut off the motor, hoisted
the main, and I've given the tiller to my friend so that I can
go forward and hoist the small jib. The ladies are having drinks
in the back of the cockpit. We are beating out a channel from the
marina to the main channel where I intend to hoist the jib. I've
unfolded the jib and hanked it on, and am on my knees holding the
jib down while I unwind the jib sheets in preparation for leading
them back to the cockpit when I hear a yell!. The jib is requiring
my full attention to keep it from blowing out from between my knees,
so I ignore the first yell figuring that there is nothing that can
be that pressing at the moment. Another yell for me! I look back
and see that the helmsman is in the water, and the two ladies are
sitting in the back of the cockpit where they cannot easily reach
the tiller!

A couple of quick wraps with the sheets secure the jib to the railing,
and I rush back to grab the tiller. The helmsman is now 30-40 yards
behind us and only 15-20 yards from the side of the channel where the
chop is breaking against a cliff. We do the figure-8 MOB drill for REAL
with a gybe instead of a tack on the backside and iron the boat to a
stop within 10 feet of my dripping ex-helmsman.

Turns out a gust blew his hat off, and he jumped in the water after
it...

And yes we still go sailing with them. Sure was glad for all the times
we played MOB with the channel bouys.

Don W.

Larry wrote:

This newsgroup could sure use a lot more stories like this than it
gets....

Thanks, Peter!



Once we had our top regional boss and his wife out sailing on the Boat I
crewed on. A gust of wind snatched his cap and dropped it in the drink.
Our helmsman did a quick 180 and I immediately dove for the storage area
under the cockpit seats...scattering the ladies. I was able to get the
boat hook ready just as we passed by the cap and with one swoop I picked
it up. Timing was perfect...more by luck than any skill.

I think its more like: "you only have a 50% chance of swimming 50 yards
in 50 degree water", .......... then you become moderately hypothermic
(lose all muscle control), then you drown/die.


In article , Don White
wrote:

Rich Hampel wrote:
Thats an interesting comment.

I spent a lot of time in my youth in the Canadian maritimes and on the
'rock' Newfoundland. I asked the question in an outport of why the
women so outnumbered the men. The answer was - they all drowned.
Incredulous I then asked doesnt any know how to swim? The reply to
that was - no they didnt bother learn to swim because it was a waste of
time. A waste of time!!!! why is that so, if so many drowned?????
The next answer - the water is so cold that even the best swimmer could
only survive a few minutes anyway so why bother to go through all that
trouble and drown anyway.

The Titanic sunk off the Canadian maritimes and probably all that
drowned, suffered hypothermia first, then drowned.

One of our cameramen went on a shoot up north half a dozen years ago.
He asked the Inuit fishermen (who weren't wearing lifejackets) what to
do if the boat sank. They said to drink lots of water on the way
down... in other words, don't prolong the agony.
It's not that bad in the Maritimes during the June-October period.
In some bays on the Atlantic side, the water reaches mid to high 60s.
On the Northumberland Straight, even higher.
What do they say... in 50 degree water, half the people could last half
an hour. We all know that sailors are more rugged than most!

"Don White" wrote in message
...
Don W wrote:
Okay, I almost posted this without prompting, but held off.

Gusty day on Lake Travis TX with peak gusts pushing 32 MPH. Not
dangerous, but not benign either. My wife and I host another
couple on our Catalina 27. We have shut off the motor, hoisted
the main, and I've given the tiller to my friend so that I can
go forward and hoist the small jib. The ladies are having drinks
in the back of the cockpit. We are beating out a channel from the marina
to the main channel where I intend to hoist the jib. I've
unfolded the jib and hanked it on, and am on my knees holding the
jib down while I unwind the jib sheets in preparation for leading
them back to the cockpit when I hear a yell!. The jib is requiring
my full attention to keep it from blowing out from between my knees,
so I ignore the first yell figuring that there is nothing that can
be that pressing at the moment. Another yell for me! I look back
and see that the helmsman is in the water, and the two ladies are
sitting in the back of the cockpit where they cannot easily reach
the tiller!

A couple of quick wraps with the sheets secure the jib to the railing,
and I rush back to grab the tiller. The helmsman is now 30-40 yards
behind us and only 15-20 yards from the side of the channel where the
chop is breaking against a cliff. We do the figure-8 MOB drill for REAL
with a gybe instead of a tack on the backside and iron the boat to a stop
within 10 feet of my dripping ex-helmsman.

Turns out a gust blew his hat off, and he jumped in the water after
it...

And yes we still go sailing with them. Sure was glad for all the times
we played MOB with the channel bouys.

Don W.

Larry wrote:

This newsgroup could sure use a lot more stories like this than it
gets....

Thanks, Peter!



Once we had our top regional boss and his wife out sailing on the Boat I
crewed on. A gust of wind snatched his cap and dropped it in the drink.
Our helmsman did a quick 180 and I immediately dove for the storage area
under the cockpit seats...scattering the ladies. I was able to get the
boat hook ready just as we passed by the cap and with one swoop I picked
it up. Timing was perfect...more by luck than any skill.

Ok, my turn... I was teaching a couple of people various MOB techniques down
BVI way a few years ago. Since I knew their abilities, I had no hesitation
being in the water as the victim. They did fine, so after about 1/2 day, we
decided to go for a sail. We were cruising along with me driving. Two of the
crew were in the cockpit, with the other two hanging their legs in the water
off the stern swim platform (always fun). One of the woman called my name,
so I turned around to answer. She was standing on the swim platform holding
her drink. She smiled, yelled MOB, and jumped off the stern. I guess it was
my turn. :-)

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"Don White" wrote in message
...
News f2s wrote:
"Don White" wrote in message
news:abqDf.3902$VV4.103038@ursa-

As a matter of interest, do all US boats have boarding/bathing
ladders?

In the nice warm Mediterranean, most boats do. Easily the best
and quickest aid to getting someone aboard in most
circumstances.

In the cold waters of UK, they're rare. Perverse? 'Blow up that
dinghy - Fast!'

JimB




In Canada a re-boarding device is a requirement on boats 6
metres or over with a freeboard in excess of .5 metre.
http://boating.ncf.ca/equipment.html


Interesting. But in my opinion the reboarding device has to be
permanently mounted in such a way that a person in the water (as -
falling into the sea while boarding, a common event, even at the
dockside) can immediately swim round to it, drop the ladder and
climb back aboard.

JimB


Yup!
That's why I installed a four rung ss boarding ladder on my transom last
year. I'll keep the little hook model that came with the boat for 'over
the side' boarding in rough seas.

A PO of my boat did go over the side and couldn't get back aboard until
someone came by and helped him out of the water. The boat has an outboard
rudder, so he installed a step on it and another on the ransom. I have never
tried it in rough water, but again if it is that rough, I stay in the
pilothouse if at all possible.

Leanne

"Don W" wrote in message
m...
Okay, I almost posted this without prompting, but held off.
Turns out a gust blew his hat off, and he jumped in the water after
it...

Do you duct tape his hat on now. It makes a real secure chin strap.

Leanne