IDEAS LOCKER

GETTING ABOARD – SAFE STEP

Boat safety should begin with boarding your vessel. Many yachts have both stern and side access, with the stern usually favoured.

The step from dinghy to side deck is often considered too high to tackle, especially for the less agile. But add a bit of pitching and rolling, as in real cruising situations, and boarding at the transom can be quite hazardous.

The lack of handholds until you are actually aboard and the propensity of the dinghy to slide under the transom overhang only increases the difficulty of climbing on to a small, pitching