Deputy Harbour Master Adam Lewis has worked with the Beaulieu River team to create a new design of safety ladder which makes rescues from the water even safer.
After reviewing incidents, procedures and equipment, the river team felt that while the provision of emergency ladders at Buckler’s Hard Yacht Harbour exceeded
“If someone falls in the water, the panic which can follow means that both the person in the water and their friends or partners can struggle to locate installed emergency ladders easily,” Mr Lewis explained. “So, what we wanted to create was a mobile ladder which we could attach anywhere in the marina and is available for anyone to use.
“I also wanted to make it long enough so they could stand on the bottom rung, without having to bend their legs which makes it as easy as possible to climb out of the water.
“Experience has shown that entering cold water has a debilitating effect on strength and flexibility. Combine this with an inflated life jacket and it becomes a real struggle to climb some ladders, where you have to get your foot up on to a ladder rung 50cm below the surface of the water.
“What we made in the end was a two metre long, lightweight ladder which has an additional ribbed stainless steel flat bar on the top to allow it to be hooked over a cleat on a pontoon, so you are never more than four metres from where we can put the ladder. It is also slightly angled when hooked on to a cleat, making it easier to climb.”
The new style of emergency ladder has also been fitted with a buoyant Man Overboard sling, which can be clipped around the casualty to keep them safe if a member of staff needs to call for help or alert emergency services.
Two new-style emergency ladders have been placed on the visitors’ pontoon at Buckler’s Hard Yacht Harbour, as well as at the bottom of the gangway leading to the marina. Members of staff can now take them with them, while answering any calls for assistance.
“We have tried and tested our new style of ladders, and they are proving very successful,” Mr Lewis continued. “Casualties can climb the ladders with no difficulty, and we can get them out of the water in a short space of time.”
Buckler’s Hard Yacht Harbour was recently ranked as one of the UK’s best marinas by being placed in the top 5% of 5 Gold Anchors winners by The Yacht Harbour Association. The Beaulieu River marina was the first to be assessed under a new scoring system and received an outstanding 95.06%.
It was also voted the best place for sailors to call home when it won the prestigious Marina of the Year title at the British Yachting’s award show in 2022.
A £2m redevelopment of the boatshed is providing new opportunities for marine-based businesses to relocate to one of the most desirable marinas on the south coast. Planned upgrades will provide new waterfront offices, workshop units and the use of meeting rooms which will be available to rent from spring 2025. Notes of interest are now being taken and preference will be given to tenants who provide value-added services for owners of boats on the marina’s 200 fully serviced walk-ashore pontoon berths and 300 river moorings.
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