Funniest Exits from a Dinghy or Boat ....

[bewitched]

Friend of mine was working late in the Yacht Club on his laptop. At about 1am or so he finished the report and got into a dingy to go out to his mooring. Had a bit trouble starting the outboard.

After a while he got it going - full throttle, in gear - he went off the back, dingy flipped, laptop and engine in the drink.

I laughed heartily until he got to the bit where he told me that rather than waking his missus to pick him up from the dock at 1am, he'd borrowed my dingy....

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by bewitched

Friend of mine was working late in the Yacht Club on his laptop. At about 1am or so he finished the report and got into a dingy to go out to his mooring. Had a bit trouble starting the outboard.

After a while he got it going - full throttle, in gear - he went off the back, dingy flipped, laptop and engine in the drink.

I laughed heartily until he got to the bit where he told me that rather than waking his missus to pick him up from the dock at 1am, he'd borrowed my dingy....

Ouch!

[bewitched]

When I think about it, I have a couple more..

In the dark, heading for shore for a night out, posh do with black tie actually, dingy is planeing and scares up some fish... one straight in the eye.. black eye to match the tie.

Leaving the boat one morning with a monsterous hangover... me, the missus and my mate in the dingy, but not for long because someone forgot to untie the painter.....

[markpierce]

The lesson seen here is that it's best to remain on either boat OR shore if serious drinking is on the agenda (as I don't have a dinghy.)

[Kai Nui]

Hmmmm There are so many....
Although none have been alcohol related, lapse in judgment or adventurous spirit was definitely a factor
We had an old Fatty Knees that tended to leak whenever there were two people in it. It was fine if it was just me, but when my wife got in, we had to bail.
Sailing back to our slip from the yacht club one night it was leaking a little faster than normal. Our good friend Elusive had already motored back to his boat, but saw us sort of floating along on the water. I headed over to the beach with the plan to dump the boat out and continue home, rowing, as there was no wind.
When I got to the beach, Elusive puled up in his dink and offered a rescue tow. I happily declined, but was out voted by a very wet and unhappy crew.
Then there was the deliberate swamping.
I was sailing that same dinghy around the harbor and got caught in a little too much current and too little wind. There is a bridge that crosses over the entrance to the slough. At low tide, I had lots of room to get under the bridge, so I was willing to go with the tide and enjoy sailing in the slough. Unfortunately, it was NOT low tide!
So, as the top of my mast slammed against the bridge while I was being pushed sideways by the current, I realized the only option I had was to swamp the boat. I put one foot on the rail and pushed, completely swamping the boat. She sailed wet and slow, but I was able to get under the bridge and to the beach to dump her out
And finally, that adventurous spirit thing
Wind blowing steady 25 to 30. A cat rigged Fatty knees with a slip over sail and all day to kill. What would you do? I went sailing
I got out of the slip, and made it on a reach the 5 slips down the the channel. Then I had to turn DDW. Well.... That did not work out so well
The boat immediately took off. The sail was not coming in, so finally I tried letting the sheet loose to let it run all the way forward. Of course, like any prudent sailor, I had a stopper knot in the sheet.
As the sail sheeted out all the way the wind had 40sq ft of sail to push against at 30kts. Unfortunately this is not a planing hull, so when she passed hull speed there was no place to go but down.
As I was swimming to the dock, painter in hand, my shoe floating away, one of our dock neighbors came out with his dog to help me get the boat out of the water. We dragged the dink up on the dock, and, as I started to drag it down the dock toward home, he sent his dog into the water to recover my shoe. The only casualty was the little transistor radio I had in my pocket.

[Lagoon4us]

Originally Posted by bewitched

When I think about it, I have a couple more..

In the dark, heading for shore for a night out, posh do with black tie actually, dingy is planeing and scares up some fish... one straight in the eye.. black eye to match the tie.

Leaving the boat one morning with a monsterous hangover... me, the missus and my mate in the dingy, but not for long because someone forgot to untie the painter.....

When i did that the wife said it was "A dope on a rope!!!!"

[harborcruiser]

Originally Posted by mjwarner

Ok. I got two. The first is my husband's. The second is all me. Here are the links to the stories.
Laughter, the best medicine? | S/V Journey

Maintain dignity at all times | S/V Journey

lol!!!!

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by markpierce

Bears don't where (sic) shoes.

Your haven't seen Antares feet - LOL

[harborcruiser]

Originally Posted by Kai Nui

Hmmmm There are so many....
Although none have been alcohol related, lapse in judgment or adventurous spirit was definitely a factor
We had an old Fatty Knees that tended to leak whenever there were two people in it. It was fine if it was just me, but when my wife got in, we had to bail.
Sailing back to our slip from the yacht club one night it was leaking a little faster than normal. Our good friend Elusive had already motored back to his boat, but saw us sort of floating along on the water. I headed over to the beach with the plan to dump the boat out and continue home, rowing, as there was no wind.
When I got to the beach, Elusive puled up in his dink and offered a rescue tow. I happily declined, but was out voted by a very wet and unhappy crew.
Then there was the deliberate swamping.
I was sailing that same dinghy around the harbor and got caught in a little too much current and too little wind. There is a bridge that crosses over the entrance to the slough. At low tide, I had lots of room to get under the bridge, so I was willing to go with the tide and enjoy sailing in the slough. Unfortunately, it was NOT low tide!
So, as the top of my mast slammed against the bridge while I was being pushed sideways by the current, I realized the only option I had was to swamp the boat. I put one foot on the rail and pushed, completely swamping the boat. She sailed wet and slow, but I was able to get under the bridge and to the beach to dump her out
And finally, that adventurous spirit thing
Wind blowing steady 25 to 30. A cat rigged Fatty knees with a slip over sail and all day to kill. What would you do? I went sailing
I got out of the slip, and made it on a reach the 5 slips down the the channel. Then I had to turn DDW. Well.... That did not work out so well
The boat immediately took off. The sail was not coming in, so finally I tried letting the sheet loose to let it run all the way forward. Of course, like any prudent sailor, I had a stopper knot in the sheet.
As the sail sheeted out all the way the wind had 40sq ft of sail to push against at 30kts. Unfortunately this is not a planing hull, so when she passed hull speed there was no place to go but down.
As I was swimming to the dock, painter in hand, my shoe floating away, one of our dock neighbors came out with his dog to help me get the boat out of the water. We dragged the dink up on the dock, and, as I started to drag it down the dock toward home, he sent his dog into the water to recover my shoe. The only casualty was the little transistor radio I had in my pocket.