eOceanic

Making boarding easier

What is the issue?

Coming alongside and climbing aboard from a highly unstable tender is not an easy task. It is made infinitely more difficult by having to clamber over the guard rails. For people who are more senior than others, slightly heavier or are not familiar with a world in motion, it can prove prohibitive. Even for born yachties it is an inconvenience, as it is very awkward when ferrying provisions back and forth particularly in a chop.

Why address this?

Clambering aboard, particularly from a tender, is totally awkward on most vessels and a daily bane. It is a prime time for people to fall in and/or loose equipment or provisions. Worse, although guardrails are highly effective at keeping people aboard at sea, they make the retrieval of a man-over-board difficult.

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How to address this?

Set in place a gate in the guardrails. You can place a cover over the cap rail in the gate area to prevent the wear and tear that may emerge due to the comings and goings. This also provides a convenient swimming and MOB recovery area.

Gates are standard feature on vessels 12 metres (40 feet) and above
Photo: Michael Harpur

This was a particular personal oversight as we did not have a gate in our rails and endured the constant comings and goings over the guardrails for our three-year circumnavigation. But it was not just us as I can count on one hand the number of vessels we met that had implemented a gate. It seems to be the one thing people overlook on a vessel of less than 12 metres (40 feet), yet it is something that could make life aboard a vessel so much more convenient.

With thanks to:

Michael Harpur, Yacht Obsession.

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