At the risk of beating a dead horse, something as simple as a standard life ring at the end of a polypropylene rope would make it possible to pull the person to the swim step of a powerboat. On a sailboat with no swim step , a halyard can be used to pull the person aboard once they are alongside. Good thing the lady survived; leaving a MOB in the water for lack of gear, preparedness or all out effort would weigh heavily on my conscience.