Last fall I recovered this tender that had come adrift from it's mother ship several hours prior in Admiralty Inlet (the entrance to Puget Sound).
Here is tender after I hauled it out and prepared it for delivery to it's very grateful owner (2 hour drive).
The mother ship was perhaps 60 feet long and was powering into waves not larger than 6 feet (the wind had died substantially by the time I took the above photo). The Vessel was equipped with a swim-step lift/davit not unlike the one pictured below. The problem with this system was that as the mother ship pitched up, the stern submerged and the dingy simply floated off it's cradle, breaking the marginal hold-down straps. If stronger hold-downs where used, then I believe there would be great danger of damaging the davit and/or the hull where it attaches.
This system seems unsuitable for off-shore use.
Steve