As I sail a lot single-handed, it’s an especially good idea to avoid falling overboard.
When getting out of the cockpit of my Rival 34, the first grab rail I used to seize was on the cabin top, but this was a few unsecured paces forward: so I got a sailmaker to stitch pairs of stainless steel rings onto the sprayhood sides.

It then took me just a few minutes to splice grab lines onto each pair of rings. The tape holding the rings is sewn where there are doublers on the hood cloth, and naturally this is where the hood is extra-strong. It has made a vast difference to my safety onboard, and is an idea that can be copied on virtually any yacht with a sprayhood.
Ian Nicolson

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