Liferaft location. What say you?

Good thing that you are thinking about it, many wouldn't. Best way to deal with that situation is to not be in it.

Best of luck

Or another way of putting is knowing what the vessel, crew and your own limits are and not going too far beyond them.

Good that you are thinking about what to do rather than being dismissive and saying that it can't happen.
Just a couple of points.
Whatever the initial plan is, go through a couple of full dress rehearsals. If you can't get 100% cooperation from all then don't go. When you do a full on, completed and timed evac you'll get two things out of it. Won't be a first time full of potentially fatal surprises when and if you have to do it for real. You'll also see what the weaknesses in the original plan are.
Don't count on one life raft being the answer. A couple of smaller ones closer to the egress points of those that are less mobile might be an answer.
Do a practice inflation of the rafts. The first time to do that is not in 2 or 3 degreeC water only to find out that it's upside down and you don't have the time or wherewithal to correct the situation. USCG may have someone that can do a onceover to help. If not, then better late than never, drop in and ask for input from the Canadian Coasties on the way north.

immersion suits

Have you ever tried putting one on in the dark?
Try it when nobody else is around to hear and laugh. Some of them are NOT as difficult to tear as you'd like to believe.

You suggested that 3 of those aboard are less fit than olympic calibre athletes.
Can they get through that forward hatch? Even if they are capable, is there crew than can be assigned to put a shoulder to that hatch if something were to fall on it.
It's all just a process of planning and walking it all through until you just can't come up with anything else that could screw up.
By the way, elderly people sometimes require meds on a regular basis. What's the plan to make sure that necessary meds are going to accompany them. Doesn't do a whole lot of good to get everyone safely off and in to a boat to then have someone flail away, die from a stroke and possibly endanger rest of the survivors because the required meds were not brought along.
I recently spent some time in a place where we had to plan for a rapid evac.
Asked everyone what they had to be sure of having to survive for 48 hours.
Aside from one who replied,"My hairdryer", there were a number whose survival would have been questionable without their medications. Excepting me, there was nobody in that crew over 40! If you don't ask.......

Sorry, should have put a grin of disbelief after the hairdryer comment. The person actually regarded her appliance as essential survival equipment for 48 hours.

Good topic. I'm wondering about getting folks into the raft. Do they try to jump directly from the yacht to the raft? Or jump in the water first, then swim over to it? Either way those people with infirmities are going to need "hands on" help from at least one crew member, possibly two.

Kelly

Getting people into a lifraft. Concidering the likely situation it will not be pretty.

It is not good practice to jump onto a liferaft for 2 reasons

1. landing on other people and causing injury

2. Causing damage to the liferaft (and ending up with 2 sinking boats)

Stepping on would be ideal however it is often difficult enough to get people into a tender safely in calm water imagine with some seas running at night.

I think that most likely people will end up in the water no matter what the intention is. So practise putting on the gumby suits, figure out how you are going to get people out of the water and into a liferaft, not that easy. A fit and agile person in a gumby suit has a hard time doing this so someone who has some difficulty is in serious trouble.

This is part of the RYA/MCA Sea Survival training, which is not so easy for many I have observed when following the sessions...

http://www.bluewateryachting.com/yacht-training/training-courseinfo/adv-sea-survival.php

Same as the advanced firefighting training that can be really scary for many people, but after these courses you get much more confidence to meet real situations...

http://www.bluewateryachting.com/yacht-training/training-courseinfo/advanced-firefighting.php

Sounds like Susie needs to know that she's honoured, loved, beautiful and needs to have a giggle. Perhaps she just needs to be reminded of the above.

Wifes never approve the use of their name if you ask them. Make it a "surprise"...