Sad new from antibes - and swimming ladders

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I read that a month or so ago an old couple in antibes died when reboarding their liveaboard boat in antibes. The reason they died was they had spent so long in the water before being hauled out. This has lead to much head scratching about the number of ladders available to get out of the marina. Good idea to keep a manky swimming ladder in the water all the time whilst at anchor or in a marina, i suppose. Does anyone do this already?
 
This is why a seriously exhausted person should be brought out of the water horizontally rather than vertically. Another good check is whether your ladder is long enough for a tired person to be able to easily get his legs on the bottom rung and not need to be a gymnast to climb up to the next rung!
 
I had one of those that hook on the side of the boat. One day i tried to use it all it did was fold up and trap me fingers. luckily the dinghy was afloat behind the boat so i climbed in that but if it had been an emergency it could have been nasty. now i have a boarding ladder mounted to the back of the boat the bottom rung is about six inches above water level and it takes a lot of effort to climb the damn thing, someone exhausted/cold would have no chance.
 
I have a fold down ladder on the stern of my Golden Hind - held up by a bit of string that can be untied at the top or bottom. You do have to be able to untie the knot of course.

I also have a rope type ladder (modern plastic type) in a velcro closed valise on the pushpit. A tug on the trailing webbing releases it. Not too easy to climb as your feet push the rungs into/under the hull.

I saw a clever home made release arrangement for a transom folding ladder recently whereby the trailing bit of string, secured at water level, went up over the pushpit and down to a cam cleat on the aft deck, from where it held up the ladder. It could be easily realeased from the water by a light tug, which pulled the string up and out of the cleat.

Francis Fletcher
 
My stern mounted ladder folds up and is kept folded by a plastic hook on a length of line at the top of the ladder. Pull hard the plastic hook lets go and the 1st rung is about 600mm below water level.

It's already been used in anger on two occasions, once a dinghy alongside capsizing and the other when I went iverboard to clear a rope around the prop. It works admirably.
 
Our marina has no ladders into the water whatsoever. We have a stern ladder which can be folded down (clip can be reached while in the water) which extends it so that the bottom 2 rungs are under water which is still quite a heave to get out on.

Was a drowning in a marina in our city a few years ago where a guy fell in late at night and couldn't (or didn't try, he had been drinking) get out.

Of course, also important when at anchor or on a mooring (when anchored we usually leave it folded down so no need to unclip it from the water).

John
 
A few years ago I was on a delivery and we anchored off La Trinite to swim round the boat and clean the hull. One guy stayed in the water working while the rest of us went ashore in the dinghy. We came back 3 hours later to find a very tired, cold swimmer by the boat, who had been unable to get back on board as we had forgotten to lower the boarding ladder. Luckily there was no harm done, but in colder rougher water it could have been fatal.
 
I am quite amazed at the lack of ladders in our marina and most marinas ive been to in the uk. Yes there are liferings and lines but a lack of ladders which i would think would need to be standard equipment.

Mark
 
absolutely vital that the swim ladder should be able to be lowered from the water and be up to the job. the commonest fault is the lowest rung being too high - 300mm below the surface is minimum.
 
Im amazed that anyone sailing wouldent have a ladder they have tried always at the ready.
I have a very strong foldup one with a line over the side, i check it weeky and often at anchor use it to get aboard to be sure alls well.

I remember the abandond boat found with scratches on the hull where the crew had probably tried to get back on board after a swim. After hearing about that ive never been without a real way of getting back on board.
 
To be truthful Mike I think it is all to do with there being so many immigrants here these days. Sometimes hard to tell them apart so never know if someone is a local or a sinker, so we always make sure there is a ladder ready for the sinkers /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

John
 
That was sad. Actually there are boarding ladders in the marina in antibes, one is near our boat, and they're quite decent. Problem is there are very few of them - worthwhile pointing them out to your guests I suppose
 
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