The Lifesling, paired with a 5:1 lifting tackle, proved the most versatile recovery device during the trials on San Francisco Bay.

By John Rousmaniere

The toughest problem with a crew-overboard rescue is the last step, the retrieval on deck. This is not to say that there’s anything easy about making contact (“COB Recovery­­­—Making Contact,” November 1, 2005) or performing maneuvers. But everything can go perfectly until you have to get the victim up those final two or three feet. Many ingenious people have been trying for years to solve this problem, and we tested some of their ideas at the 2005 Crew Overboard Retrieval Symposium on San Francisco Bay last summer. I helped run the event, which was sponsored by West Marine and Sausalito’s Modern Sailing Academy, with the support of several…