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.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._and_above.jpg)
Gates are standard feature on vessels 12 metres (40 feet) and abovePhoto: 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.
A photograph is worth a thousand words. We are always looking for bright sunny photographs that illustrate this experience. If you have some images that we could use please upload them here. All we need to know is how you would like to be credited for your work and a brief description of the image if it is not readily apparent. If you would like us to add a hyperlink from the image that goes back to your site please include the desired link and we will be delighted to that for you.
Add your review or comment:
Please log in to leave a review of this tip.
eOceanic makes no guarantee of the validity of this information, you must read our legal page. However, we ask you to help us increase accuracy. If you spot an inaccuracy or an omission on this page please contact us and we will be delighted to rectify it. Don't forget to help us by sharing your own experience.