"Don White" wrote in message
news:1esDf.3958$VV4.104238@ursa-

Ever watch your stern bob up & down like a rocking horse at a
rough mooring? midships, the movement is more subdued.

If you're talking about routinely boarding a vessel from a tender,
I agree. If you're talking warm water, I agree. Mount from the
beam.

If it's cold water, and you're talking about someone who's in the
water, it's a different matter. Especially if there's no-one else
on board (competent) to help.

You then need a ladder rigged that extends 2ft into the water, or
a soft dinghy in the water which can be boarded from within the
water (and that's not too easy either for some of us). Otherwise
someone on board is rigging slings and stuff, and that takes time.

Younger people are agile enough to cope with shorter ladders and
soft dinghies, but on the cruising boats I've seen a lot of us are
pretty ancient, and I, for one, prefer grabbing a heaving ladder
(with all the risks that entails), to being just a bit too long in
cold water.

JimB