Hey Dave,

I've posted this pic before, of a boat prepping for their passage in the Caribbean 1500 Rally...

First off, that looks like a surefire means of generating a high potential to create a MOB situation... Probably just about the time they're reaching the Gulf Stream, the webbing used to secure that thing will have stretched sufficiently so that it will have to be snugged up... How one would do that in a seaway, without placing one or more crew in a rather precarious position is not readily apparent to me...

But perhaps the dumbest aspect of that setup, is that the bow of the tender is to starboard... On most passages from the Chesapeake to Tortola, chances are you're gonna spend most of your time on port tack... Had the orientation of that tender been swapped, and the drain plug left out of the transom, the thing would have easily drained itself of rainwater in the most likely situations to be encountered... Instead, these guys might have to tack after a squall, simply to 'bail out' their tender... (grin)

I recently delivered a Freedom 45 from Annapolis out to western Lake Erie, with its 63' carbon fiber mast on deck the whole way... And yet, the only concern I had during the entire course of the trip, was the inflatable on davits... Whenever I got into any sort of chop, those things started flexing like crazy, and the dink bouncing up and down wildly, no matter what I tried to do to better secure it... I was amazed they lasted the whole way, frankly...

Always nice to see you pop in here, Dave...

best regards,

Jon