T

here are a number of

emergency situations

that are important to

plan and train for on

board boats and

ships, particularly abandon

ship and man overboard (MOB).

If the real situation were to

arise, training could mean

the difference between life

and death.

For this test, we focus on one

piece of kit designed to get a man

overboard back onto the boat by

climbing up a ladder. Once a

man-overboard situation has

occurred, a quick reaction by

the helm is necessary to stay in

contact and return to the MOB,

minimising their exposure to cold

water. In this situation, assuming

the MOB is conscious, he or she

should be able to climb up a

ladder. The key factor is speed of

recovery, and a ladder

permanently attached to

the pushpit that can be instantly

deployed would be a valuable

asset, especially in a short-

handed boat. Some boats have

bathing ladders attached to the

stern that can be used for the

MOB to climb back on board,

but some sterns do not lend

themselves to such ladders: and

in certain waters they provide a

potential route (when at anchor)

for unwelcome visitors to climb

aboard the boat.

A recent quick survey on the

River Hamble revealed that many

cruisers have MOB recovery bags

attached to the pushpit: these

include a life sling designed to

be towed behind a circling

vessel until the casualty grabs

it, whereupon he/she is pulled

alongside and can then be

hoisted on board with a halyard

on a winch or block and tackle.

An emergency ladder is an

alternative solution where there

is no other means of recovery

immediately available.

What is available?

We found seven emergency

boarding ladders in two designs –

rigid step or mesh. Most of the

devices tested fi t into a bag or

pouch, which is kept closed by

a Velcro fastening. The exception

is the Osculati Flushmount

emergency ladder, which is

designed to be recessed into

the boat’s transom in a tube.

The step types feature a set of

rigid steps suspended by tape or

line, while the mesh types have a

two-foothold-wide fl exible mesh

and are therefore wider than the

solid step ladders. The devices

MOB boarding

ladders

7

Ex-merchant

navy offi cer Alex

Bell sails a

Bénéteau First

305 and lectures

in maths and

engineering at Southampton

Solent University.

Alan Watson is

an ex-merchant

navy radio

offi cer and a

Yachtmaster

with commercial

endorsement, and runs a 12.8m

Nelson 42 powerboat.

Oksana Razina

works at

Southampton

Solent University

and is a club

racer of yachts in

the Solent in the role of navigator.

THE PBO TEST TEAM

Alex Bell and a PBO test team try out a range of emergency boarding ladders to

assess how helpful they are in enabling MOB casualties to climb back on board