Slimmy,
It is a drink holder attached to his life vest. I believe there is a straw  
from which he can get a sip whenever he wants. Past experience with my Hobie  
tells me this is a brilliant device.
 
Bill,
Practicing the MOB drill is very important. We have a rule on Rum Runner  
that should anyone ever go overboard, the next thing done is to throw a cockpit  
cushion towards the individual. This eliminates the need for a hasty recovery, 
 unless you happen to be in cold water where hypothermia becomes an issue. 
With a  good floating device in the water, you can take your time coming back to 
the  MOB, even dropping sails and motoring over to them. It would also give 
them some  time to get over how stupid they were in the first place for going 
overboard,  unless of course, they have been drinking massive quantities of 
rum, which is a  legal excuse anywhere. IMHO.
 
Rummy