On Thu, 8 Apr 2010 08:48:02 -0700 (PDT), Frogwatch
wrote:

I have one but when I consider how it is to be used, it makes no
sense. In most cases, you will want to be able to throw something to
the person and you simply cannot throw the Lifesling. After
considering various throwables, I settled on a cheap JimBuoy with a
poly (floating) rope attached via a ss clip. The 150' of light line
goes into a canvas bag on the stern rail where it is protected from
the sun. The ring buoy is detached and put below when I am not on the
boat and the line is stuffed in its bag out of the sun. When I go
aboard, I simply attach the line again.
Of course, this is in addition to the tethers we use that attach via a
carabiner to our inflatable life jackets. The tethers go to a ring
bolt in the cockpit. At night, everybody wears a tether.
The inflatables each have a strobe as well and mine has a new EPIRB.
YES, I am paranoid.

You misunderstand how a Lifesling is supposed to be used. The idea
is to let all of the line out behind the boat and then circle the
person in the water like you were bringing the tow rope to a water
skiier. This is a maneuver that needs to be practiced.

You should really try to find a "Safety at Sea" course in your area.
They typically provide live demonstrations of all sorts of safety
equipment and some very worthwhile discussions by experts.

http://offshore.ussailing.org/SAS/Seminars.htm