"News f2s" wrote in news:drlcn7$qc9$1
@news.freedom2surf.net:

Interesting. But in my opinion the reboarding device has to be
permanently mounted in such a way that a person in the water (as -
falling into the sea while boarding, a common event, even at the
dockside) can immediately swim round to it, drop the ladder and
climb back aboard.

JimB


We have a reboarding device hanging down from our marina dock. We almost
lost one of the drunk sailors one night.....

We were all sitting in a cabin drinking heavily listening to the usual
sea stories and other BS that fills the space between refills. One of
our "regulars" got up and left the boat to **** over the side of the
dock, hopefully not in someone's dingy.

Well, he was in worse condition than he thought. He fell over-the-side
of the dock between a couple of boats, dead drunk, with noone topside to
witness and save him as we were all drunk in the cabin, music blaring and
some young honey making us all drool, dreaming of the possibilities....

Noone really noticed his extended absence as he has been known to crawl
into his boat and bunk many times before, never even saying good night.

About an hour later, here he comes back aboard wearing clean clothes far
different from what he left with. We asked him what happened and he told
us of falling into the water, swimming drunk around to the boarding
platform of a transient's trawler on another dock, walking back to his
boat soaking wet....then changing his clothes to come back to the party
because we had more great vodka to drink up. Not until the next day did
the dock realize we could have lost him the previous night.

So, we installed a nice boarding ladder in his honor on the side of the
main dock centrally located so he wouldn't have to walk so far...(c;

We call it "Lloyd's Ladder"....(c;