DINGHY SAFETY AND SECURITY

Sailing down the Pacific coast of the United States from the Puget Sound in 2018 on SV ARROW, I quickly learned the importance of dinghy safety and security.

FIRST: Timing landings and take off’s is KEY.

From the beginning, almost every take off and landing of the tender to and from the shore was affected by ocean swell until well north in the Sea of Cortez or tucked deeply into a very calm corner of a bay.  I think it is a safe bet that every cruiser has a tale of a dinghy landing or more that went wrong.  Maybe it involves flipping their dinghy, turning sidelong to the wave at a terrible moment, not having enough motor power to push through the waves, getting swamped on the take off just before passing clear of the breakers, etc.

I guarantee these are not moments worth repeating so it is imminently importantly is to know how to land and take off safely.  The first step requires patient study of the waves and the beach:

• Where is the calmest area of the beach with a good landing zone.
• Where are the waves breaking?
• How many waves are in a set and how big are they?
• How much time is there between sets?

For us, watching the ‘pangueros’ in every country from Mexico to Panama pilot their pangas on and off the beach was incredibly instructive.  They have local knowledge of where to land and time tested patience watching, waiting, and taking the gap in the swell for the smoothest ride in and out.  At best one rides in on the back of the last wave in a set, glides to the beach, pops out and pulls the dinghy to higher ground swiftly based on the size of the waves.  At best on takes off by entering the water, walking the dinghy in past the break zone after the last wave in a set, hops in, starts the motor, and zips out of the crash zone before the next set comes in.

SECOND: The dinghy motor is well balanced to the size of the tender and their crew

When we first left the Puget Sound we had a super sweet rowboat that we made years earlier.  No motor and two of our four person crew were growing by the minute.  In San Diego, we bought an inflatable tender and motor that allowed us to get on and off shore with more speed when we needed it and more space so we were not over loading our small craft.  Lots of people cover their motor in an old XL t-shirt, stickers, or scratches, or a canvas motor cover to camouflage and/or protect it.

THIRD: Dry bags keep important items safe…and dry.

No matter how calm the conditions, once in the dinghy one is closer to the water than they were on the mothership.  Everything (from one’s clothes to one’s camera or wallet) in the dinghy is at risk of getting wet either from spray while moving or a wave while landing or taking off.  Accidents can and do happen.  Using dry bags or dry boxes keeps the losses to a minimum.

FOURTH: Good dinghy wheels are AWESOME.

Reliable and stout dinghy wheels are the most efficient way to move the dinghy to higher ground.  Our favorite wheels (and our third set to date) are Beach Masters out of New Zealand.  They have a smooth action to put them up and down and they are stout so they can roll over uneven rocks when necessary.

FIFTH: Even the tender needs a reliable anchor.

If the landing is untenable or you want to snorkel near a reef and the dinghy must be anchored out, ideally one has a dinghy anchor, a little chain and some rode that can be securely attached to the dinghy.

SIXTH: A secure combination Brass U Lock will withstand years of salt and exposure and is an excellent baby-sitter

Dinghy locks keep discourage theft and give us piece of mind when going to sleep or going ashore to explore or provision.  We keep the motor locked at all times although my captain would prefer a lock that covers up the motor clamps.  We also and have a second setup that includes a long bicycle cable and Brass U Lock.  We use the cable to lock the dinghy to something secure ashore.  Additionally, in 99% of all places we have anchored up and down the Pacific Coast of North and Central America, we always raise the dinghy up at night to discourage theft and be sure that we are not relying on a knot to keep our dinghy close.

COMING SOON TO SV WHIRLWIND: A Small Dinghy Survival kit with a few essentials.

While we have been using our tender to come and go from our vessel for six years now we always bring a handheld vhf radio with us and often grab a few extra things here and there depending on where we are going, the time of day, and/or the occasion.  In the coming weeks we are determined to make a small dinghy survival kit that will just live in our dink, MV TUMBLEWEED.

We plan to include:

• a small first aid kit
• a signal mirror
• a flashlight
• fire starter
• a flare
• a pocket knife
• sunscreen
• a corkscreen/bottle opener

We may make a canvas bag, re-dedicate a drybag, or integrate a pocket into our chaps to house this kit.  Stay tuned.

SV WHIRLWIND Mike, Maurisa, Russell, & Josea – Alajuela 48