Almost Lost it Rowing Out

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by unbusted67

a big gust hit me and spun me sideways. I dug in with my windward oar to try to right myself. The oar popped out of the oar lock,

Yikes! Boating is all fun

Sounds like time for an outboard.

Glad you got back OK


Mark

[capngeo]

Originally Posted by gonesail

move to Florida .. you can swim back to the boat and sure don't need to worry about ice jams

I saw water temps of 55° this winter.... No swimming for this boy in that!

[Allan S]

Glad you made it through unscathed and a bit more experienced Unbusted....Allan

[sabray]

Another good back up is a sculling notch. I guarantee I would out scull anyone paddling a dinghy. Im on the chesapeake every weekend if anyone wants a go. loser buys the beer and gets a free sculling lesson. Otherwise I like boatmans suggestion and have done this before. let the wind drive the boat backwards and you control the dink by steering into the wind.

[Kettlewell]

That's one reason I prefer rowlocks instead of oarlocks. These are the kind that stay permanently attached to the oars and have a pin through the center of the oar. Sure, you can't feather the blades, but I have found that if the wind is strong enough to need to feather the blades than it is strong enough that you don't want to waste time and effort feathering the blades. With rowlocks you can really put your back into rowing hard in a hard wind, you don't have to worry about the oars popping out if you pull too hard, and if you have to let go of one oar or another you don't lose it.

[SuddenVibe]

Lb

S/V Joyen's Dream

[farotherside]

Originally Posted by At sea

I'll bet you didn't keep the bow down by sitting in it. If you had, you'd have discovered how easy it is. Doesn't cure a hangover though...

I've tried many times and you're right, standing in the bow to weight it down is the only way to get it to paddle even remotely in a straight line. I've broken an oar twice in the past two years, forcing me to paddle home; I no longer use anything but heavy wooden oars.

I can still row either my porta-bote or my zodiac rib at least 5x faster than I can paddle them. the zodiac has a 4hp, but I'm not comfortable leaving it on the beach where I can't padlock it to anything, so usually I use the porta-bote, which rows quite nicely.

maybe you're only paddling a few meters? I'm currently anchored about 350m off the beach, and some days when the wind is up I have to put all my stuff in drybags and bungee my bicycle to the rowboat to get home.

[farotherside]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

That's one reason I prefer rowlocks instead of oarlocks. These are the kind that stay permanently attached to the oars and have a pin through the center of the oar. Sure, you can't feather the blades, but I have found that if the wind is strong enough to need to feather the blades than it is strong enough that you don't want to waste time and effort feathering the blades. With rowlocks you can really put your back into rowing hard in a hard wind, you don't have to worry about the oars popping out if you pull too hard, and if you have to let go of one oar or another you don't lose it.

Interesting - I started with rowlocks three years ago, but last year I "upgraded" to ring-style oarlocks. I've found that while they're a little tricker to use I get so much more control over the dinghy (read: speed) that personally it was worth the time to learn them. I hardly ever pop an oar out anymore, and technically I could just put a cotter pin in the bottom of the oarlock and it wouldn't pop out.

edit: oh, right - I also add a set of $5 plastic "oar sleeves" to my oars, so letting go of an oar doesn't mean losing it.

[Wand]

Originally Posted by drew23

maybe you're only paddling a few meters? I'm currently anchored about 350m off the beach, and some days when the wind is up I have to put all my stuff in drybags and bungee my bicycle to the rowboat to get home.

Less than a couple of hundred metres and in reasonably protected water among the mangroves is my good fortune. I'd agree an exposed off-the-beach scenario is very different - I'd be motoring it for sure. A little lightweight easily carried two instead of the four might be a thought for the tough days.

[Woodchuck]

A turk's head knot works good for keeping your oars from sliding out of the locks. They look really cool too.