Emergency boarding ladder

[Jim Walsh]

I installed an emergency boarding ladder a few years ago. I have since noticed them on the racers after their arrival in Bermuda and I was told they are a race requirement.....at least for the Bermuda One-Two Race entrants. All you need is to pick a spot and a have fun with a hole saw. Very simple installation. I have placed mine so that when it’s deployed I can climb it to reach my wind vane struts to enable me to climb onto the aft deck. It’s not fun but it serves the purpose very well.

[David Morton]

nice, Jim. Wonder if there is an installation that would allow us guys without the wind vane to deploy from the water and still climb up over the transom. Seems the top rung of the ladder would be at the height of the installed tube ( maybe a few inches below), so you would have to be able to climb from a height no higher than can be reached while floating in the water. Might be a tad tricky.

David

[Jim Walsh]

nice, Jim. Wonder if there is an installation that would allow us guys without the wind vane to deploy from the water and still climb up over the transom. Seems the top rung of the ladder would be at the height of the installed tube ( maybe a few inches below), so you would have to be able to climb from a height no higher than can be reached while floating in the water. Might be a tad tricky.

David

Perhaps a couple strategically placed folding steps or mast steps?
I always figured I’m most susceptible to an inadvertent fall when at anchor or on a mooring since that’s when I’m on deck with no safety equipment. If my dinghy isn’t in the water and my boarding ladder isn’t deployed I could be in real trouble. Early and late season anchorage’s are frequently devoid of fellow cruisers.