Here, a multi-part Spectra lanyard is used in ûplace of a turnbuckle to tension the lifelines.

Last month we looked at portable safety equipment designed to keep you aboard your boat, or retrieve you if you go overboard. This month, we look at the permanent system which is intended to keep you aboard: the lifelines and rails.

Lifelines, stanchions, and pulpits are an integral part of any boat's crew-overboard prevention system. The weakest link in the lifeline chain is, almost inevitably, the lifeline wire. We're not sure when vinyl-coated stainless steel lifeline material was developed, but it is certainly the standard material for lifelines on every cruising boat. …