In this case there was no buddy either. Really if you ever need to go the edge of the boat you should be tied in. This is especially true with sailboats since

In this case there was no buddy either. Really if you ever need to go the edge of the boat you should be tied in. This is especially true with sailboats since you often work at the edge of the boat doing things like pulling lines or other actions where you can easily lose balance or the boat can quickly shift. If you are sailing in open water like this, miles from shore, especially solo, you should be tying yourself whenever you go to the edge of the boat. This is standard equipment on most boats, a full-body harness (often intergrated with an CO2 inflated life vest and water activated beacon). There is a big industrial caribiner style clip you clip onto the railing or similar with so that if you fall overboard you can pull yourself back. The rig is similar to what you would wear while roofing a house. This applies to all offshore boating, but if you are ever boating solo, even more precaution should be taken to do this.