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Old 28-02-2018, 07:00   #16
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Re: Note to self, always start dinghy engine before casting off.

I heard that. You could supplement with 100-150 1/8" dyneema which would pack into a small sack as an option. Otherwise, a charged up hand held DSC VHF is essential along with flares which can come from the mothership. Alternately personal signal flares pack small and are an option but maybe not if you are flying to a charter destination.

Maybe not such a worry in heavily trafficked areas but if you are off the beaten path then things are a bit different. Not trying to make anyone paranoid or say one must do this or that. Just trying provoke some thought or at least share some things I have thought about. I never had to use any of this stuff but it was there if I needed it.
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Old 28-02-2018, 07:32   #17
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Re: Note to self, always start dinghy engine before casting off.

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Originally Posted by Flagman101 View Post
In 15 kn of wind. All I could manage is not drifting as much and going circles.
Wind quickly overpowered the rower.
There must be something wrong with your oars. Are they plastic and 3ft long? The engine can fail at any time, you should consider a sail and/or anchor. Some cruisers almost died this way because at night they ran out of gas before finding their boat and were blown away and drifted 3 days.

I routinely row against 15 knots of wind. I can row against even more wind, but by 20 knots I have to use the sail. I have a hell of a lot more wind age and drag in a 27ft sloop compared to a 16ft dingy.

In my dingy (kayak) I row against 40 knots. At 50 knots I get blown back, or the wind catches the paddle and flips me. A few times I had to swim.
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Old 28-02-2018, 08:30   #18
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Re: Note to self, always start dinghy engine before casting off.

Reminds me of being on a charter once in Italy, cast off from the boat, pulled in vain for 4 panicky minutes on the starter before I remembered that I had to put the little red kill switch thingy in. Never so happy to hear the engine kick in.

Now that we have our own boat, I always keep a charged VHF handheld in a closed pocket, even when tied up to a dock (if I had to carry it everywhere, I don't think I'd consistently take it). I expect it may get stolen every couple of seasons, but for the cost I'm happy to replace what I consider essential safety gear. (And, of course, I no longer cast off unless the engine's going!)
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Old 28-02-2018, 08:55   #19
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Re: Note to self, always start dinghy engine before casting off.

We have a Dinghy dry bag with VHF, light, multitool, hand held depth sounder, spare red thingy. And we always use the red cut off when in the dinghy, which seems quite unusual from what I can see from others. The dinghy can be the most dangerous part of sailing, so we are very careful.
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Old 28-02-2018, 09:12   #20
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Re: Note to self, always start dinghy engine before casting off.

My Dinghy engine quit while motoring around English harbor in Antigua. It would not re-start, despite desperate attempts, and we had plenty of gas. Wind was blowing hard, taking us rapidly toward the open ocean. Rowing was not enough to fight the wind.
On this one occasion I forgot to open the little air vent thingy on the gas tank. Started back up, but it sure gave me a reality check.
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Old 28-02-2018, 09:21   #21
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Re: Note to self, always start dinghy engine before casting off.

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My Dinghy engine quit while motoring around English harbor in Antigua. It would not re-start, despite desperate attempts, and we had plenty of gas. Wind was blowing hard, taking us rapidly toward the open ocean. Rowing was not enough to fight the wind.
On this one occasion I forgot to open the little air vent thingy on the gas tank. Started back up, but it sure gave me a reality check.
Perfect case for having a VHF and or a whistle aboard...
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Old 28-02-2018, 09:33   #22
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Re: Note to self, always start dinghy engine before casting off.

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Originally Posted by Flagman101 View Post
A guy wanted to go ashore for coffee. His boat was moored in a nice bay in the BVI's
He gets in his dinghy and and unties the dinghy.
Gets to the motor and realizes he forget the little red kill switch thing.
Turns around and surprise....he as already drifted more then 20 feet from the boat.
Darn.
What to do??
Try and row the boat....
Anyone ever tried to row a 16 foot dinghy in 15 kn of wind. Wont happen.
Drifting away from the boat, toward open ocean.
Finally was able to pull on the kill switch button with fingers and start the motor.
Mental note to self. Never untie the dinghy before the engine is running.

Never happened to me again...
Ah, yes. Haven't we all sung that lament? Enjoyed how you set up the story as if you were watching another sailor do the dinghy dance. Made the punch line very effective.

During my film days I was asked to review a script that involved a storied waterman going out to a sailboat in distress, at anchor near leeward rocks, during a big storm. The waterman helped to better secure the sailboat then jumped into his 13' whaler to return to his station. The script had him casting off, then starting his engine. I made a big red edit mark at this passage with the note "No experienced mariner would do this. He would always start the engine first." Making that mistake is how you become an experienced mariner. As for 'what to do if this happens to you' I often throw a pair of cheap fins into the dinghy just in case. If all else fails I can swim a pretty long way to shore with a set of fins.

Wonder if there's a market for a dinghy start button as a piece of jewelry? Bracelet? Earring? Replace the traditional hoop or shackle earring with a toilet lid shaped thingie. Would definitely be a conversation starter. "What ARE you wearing in your ear?"
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Old 28-02-2018, 09:46   #23
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Re: Note to self, always start dinghy engine before casting off.

Cruisers don't 'almost' die if their dinghy motor quits or won't start. One singlehander anchored at Mustique had a brand new outboard. As near as they could tell, it quit on the way back to the boat, and he was never seen again.

The handheld VHF goes in the ubiquitous cruisers backpack.
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Old 28-02-2018, 09:47   #24
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Re: Note to self, always start dinghy engine before casting off.

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Originally Posted by Nani Kai View Post
"No experienced mariner would do this."
Very true.

An experience mariner would not rely on an engine.

People row across the ocean, even some, against the prevailing wind, in much larger boats than the dingy the OP described.

People who use engines are weak. They lack the physical capability to swing an oar properly, even just for a minute or two.
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Old 28-02-2018, 09:55   #25
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pirate Re: Note to self, always start dinghy engine before casting off.

Quote:
Originally Posted by boat_alexandra View Post
Very true.

An experience mariner would not rely on an engine.

People row across the ocean, even some, against the prevailing wind, in much larger boats than the dingy the OP described.

People who use engines are weak. They lack the physical capability to swing an oar properly, even just for a minute or two.

Bay locks..
Its more technique than brute force and ignorance.
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Old 28-02-2018, 10:02   #26
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Re: Note to self, always start dinghy engine before casting off.

Yeah, right. I remember the time I had to use the oars in the dinghy. A couple of good pulls and the wooden shaft snapped. Had to resort to plan B, which was the anchor.
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Old 28-02-2018, 10:06   #27
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Re: Note to self, always start dinghy engine before casting off.

I loved the OP owning up to it at the end. Grats to him for doing it.
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Old 28-02-2018, 10:07   #28
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Re: Note to self, always start dinghy engine before casting off.

Quote:
Originally Posted by boat_alexandra View Post
Very true.

An experience mariner would not rely on an engine.

People row across the ocean, even some, against the prevailing wind, in much larger boats than the dingy the OP described.

People who use engines are weak. They lack the physical capability to swing an oar properly, even just for a minute or two.
It sure is nice that the other 99.99% of us don't take your remarks personally.

We all appreciate your work on OpenCPM.

This carp? Not so much.
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Old 28-02-2018, 10:12   #29
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Re: Note to self, always start dinghy engine before casting off.

Our Johnson 15 has a spare kill key mounted on the tiller - standard equipment...
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Old 28-02-2018, 10:19   #30
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Re: Note to self, always start dinghy engine before casting off.

Our dink sea stories usually involved those junkers from the bare boat charter companies....some times we had good outboards, sometimes not.

Last BVI trip, the dink would not start, or it just flat shut down.

We were towing it, and after mooring pick ups, we tried to go ashore .

With the to and fro motion and the heat expanding in the plastic gas tank, the bloody thing was forcing fuel into the out board. Soundly flooding the beast....so I fixed that by disconnecting the fuel hose at the engine. And would reconnect the fuel line when we actually were ready to start . Same when we docked or pulled the dink up on shore. When the vessel wass underway, the dink fuel line was disconnected , and tied up with line. No more problems.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sopers Hole, Tortola , west end.-

Another time, we had been dink racing and tearing about during the day, and later decided to go ashore at Soppers hole and meet some of our friends for pain killers at Pussers.

The sun had well set about an hour earlier. I start the dink and Erica releases the painter and coils and stows it forward. We leave and in a very short time, the outboard quits. I check the valve on the fuel cap. It was open. So that was not the problem.

There is a venturi in sopers and the wind blows soundly.

I pull and pull, zero. We do have our flare up flash light , and I open the fuel cap and the tank is almost empty. We are drifting at a good rate of speed out to the open ocean at night , no night sailing boats to help

. Spotting a mooring can, I grab onto the painter with my hand, and stop our fast drift. Ok, the big problem is solved.

I pick up the fuel tank, and tilt it so that the little remaining fuel will pool at the end of the tank where the fuel will flows into the outlet for the hose.

A couple of pulls , and rattle , rattle , roar. Good sounds.

Had enough fuel to get back to the boat. My bad for letting the rum and fun get in the way of responsibility.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The last one was more interesting. We were at Marina Cay, spent the night, and needed to get some fresh water. Trades were blowing in the 20's. I wanted to check what type of dock cleats or bollards, or etc, that the dock used for visiting vessles. The dock master, we noticed was usually not around. We backed to port, so I would put her port side to, Erica would get a bow line on. Then I could power and back to port.

So, in my brilliance, I decide to take the dink, go over and take a look at the gas dock tie up method. The wind was strong off the dock, and would blow our monohull away from the dock.

Well, I dink over, and take a look, and then add a good twist of throttle power to the outboard, and the bloody engine roars , the throttle is stuck full open. Bloody jammed to the max. The quiet mooring field is about to get entertained.

Well, I have a plan. I storm back to the boat at warp speed, engine blasting, and of course Erica is down below. I make a close pass for her to get up top side, NOW , up she pops and I make another pass, and tell her..

Stuck Throttle, I will come to our stern, and shut down, you take painter.

OK. Sounds good. I did not want to restart the outboard at full throttle setting. One approach, and we would be all set.

She is up on deck, ready. I make another full on blasting pass and approach at light speed. I guage the distance and my shut down forereach and pull the cord. Blessed silence.

Well, with the wind and the fore reach of a large boulder, the bloody dink stops about two feet short of the painter length. Dink and I are rapidly being pushed well astern. Bye, bye, Denny. Wave adios.

Paddling a rubber dink into a 20 plus knot wind, and no oar locks. I take one paddle and sit up at the bow of the dink and paddle hawaiian style. Well, that is not working, I am still being pushed away from our boat.

One of our neighbors , who I have been entertaining for the last few minutes, gets into his dink and pulls up along side. I grab a hand hold, and he tows my silent dink back to our Moorings Sunsail jeanneau 36. Complementary beer is awarded.

We give them the moorings call , and an ETA for an outboard replacement.....everything went very smooth, I docked at the T dock at the moorings marina . Advised that we were there, and instead of a different outboard, we were given a brand new dink, and motor, and all was well.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, saying it is easy to row into to 20 to 40 knots of wind, might be subjective.....in a rubber dink, and no fixed or locks, or seat to roost on while pulling. That was not working .

we all have our own dinghy motor tales, and one good idea I heard from a sailing friend back in the home port of newport beach.

As to old unreliable dink motors....tie a rope around it and use it as an anchor.

This is a fun and interesting thread......and a learning tool for others, as well as our selves.

In regard to the stuck throttle, I should held off shutting down early and landed the dink well up the hull toward the bow, grabbed on to the life line, and handed the painter to Erica, instead of her standing on the quarter. The dink would have drifted back along side, and no problem.

That puppy went from hauling okole to a dead stop in a few feet.

No matter how long we do this sailing, we are still learning.
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