Overboard Recovery On A Power Boat: Using A Lifesling with Linda Lewis

The Lifesling was developed for sailboats, but with some inventive rigging it is also extremely useful on power boats. The biggest challenges are finding a good location for the Lifesling and, most importantly, figuring out how to rig the 5:1 Block and Tackle connection-point that is high enough and strong enough. Capt. Linda Lewis teaches Lifesling recovery on power boats and has photos of multiple approaches to the rigging challenges power boaters face. The classroom portion of the course includes a video of a Lifesling recovery, a demo of the gear, and a time for trouble-shooting ideas for YOUR boat. The second part of the course will be a lab, hands-on practice session, working with the retrieval gear – everyone taking a turn actually hauling someone up into a mock-boat who is seated on the floor in the classroom building. Can YOU get your partner into the boat?

Capt. Linda Lewis holds a USCG 100-Ton Masters License and provides customized on-the-water power boat instruction, on-your-boat (www.privateboatinginstruction.com). An Emeritus Associate Professor from the U of WA, she brings her professional educator background to presentations on navigation & boat handling topics yearly at the Seattle Boat Show, Trawlerfest, and yacht clubs. She has 25 years of hands-on experience cruising the Inside Passage (including nine cruises to SE Alaska) on both sail and power boats. Today she single-hands her 45’ trawler and cruises with friends as crew.