I returned from a solo night sail last night to find your original post on this topic. The story about the sailor in Lake Michigan was pretty disturbing, and your post made me rethink things a bit.

Your idea of a mid-ship drop down ladder is a good one, and I would be interested in knowing your source and a little more about how it works. As I said earlier, I have been giving some thought to drop down ladders on the port and starboard sides at the low spot on the rail just behind the cabin, and I am also now thinking about a similar arrangement at the shrouds. I was thinking about a simple Dacron rope device with PVC rungs, but have not figured out how to rig a reliable lanyard to release the ladder.

It seems that if one was on the foredeck when one fell over, one could more easily reach a lanyard connected to a ladder in the area of the shrouds than one could get to the aft end of the boat.

The combination of a manually inflatable PFD in combination with a harness for single-handing sounds like a very good one.

I don't plan to tow a dinghy, and I am sure that the wear and tear on an inflatable would be terrific, but it would be an interesting idea to have a canister of some sort mounted at the stern with a very small and inexpensive one man raft with CO2 for automatic inflation attached to a quick release device. That way, crew or no crew, a person in the water would have a better chance of survival, especially with a hand held VHF radio in his/her pfd, jacket, float coat or whatever. I am not thinking about an expensive survival raft, but just something to crawl into out of the water, and help you stay alive longer, or perhaps if it remained attached to the sailboat to assist you in regaining your place on deck.

Your idea of carrying a 3/16" line long enough to go from the tether end to the dinghy or raft, or even the emergency boarding ladder at the stern sounds like a neat trick also. Thanks for the inspiration and the interesting survival idea.

By the way, the bioluminescence on Monterey Bay was gorgeous last night. It was one of the most incredible things I have ever seen. Actually, it may be the most incredible. Luminescent clouds flowing below the sea as schools of fish raced by, undulating forms illuminated by glowing light, and luminescent seals chasing schools of equally luminescent sardines in a ballet of light. I stayed out till 10:00 PM to watch it all. There was just enough wind to sail silently over the sea of swirling light as I trailed a blue-green wake behind me.