David Lecoq is a yachtsman who has had a problem with the solution for getting back on board a boat when you are moored at the end of your harness lanyard. Indeed, as sailors know, it is very difficult to get back on board if the sailboat is underway and you are dragged by its lanyard.
David Lecoq designed a rope ladder small enough to fit in the inflatable vest. This one has a snap hook and 2 rungs. Once at sea, the shipwrecked person attaches the carabiner to the boat (on the fargue rail or on the ropes for example) and uses the 2 rope rings to support himself with his feet.
This invention is the subject of a patent application concerning a ladder with a Dyneema rope fixed on an eye carabiner. On the eye carabiner (1) is fixed a Dyneema rope (4) with a hand-knot (2) and a crimped ring (3). On this rope a first loop (6) is formed with a full fist knot (5) and a second loop (9) is formed with another full fist knot (8), a crimped ring (7) will ensure the retention of the second end of the rope.
It's so simple that it must work! There are still some situations that will prove more delicate if, for example, the shipwrecked person falls into the wind of a sailboat that is lying down. It will not be possible to catch the bridge too far from the water. Or if the lanyard is attached to the lifeline and runs to the rear of the sailboat. In this case, the shipwrecked person at the end of his lanyard will be too far away to catch the boat.
Today David Lecoq would like to market his product through shipchandlers. A few shops around its sailing area, Les Sables-d'Olonne, have already responded.
