Beware the Dinghy

[Wand]

I've not seen the data but suspect that a good proportion of boating deaths happen in familiar, innocuous circumstances. The following links refer to two recent drownings in Sydney, one being the popular character and columnist 'arry Driftwood. As 'arry used to say: eternal vigilance shipmates.

Editor's Column - Itinerant Boatman and Reverer of Wimmin

Rogue's Yarn with 'Arry Driftwood - Vale Hans

[MarkJ]

Alan Lucas recalls that he always stood up in his outboard-powered dinghy. “A practice I worried about and gave him a friendly dig about it, but he persisted through rain and shine – both before and after his knee replacement – so I guess he died fully understanding the risks he took and certainly living the life he loved.”

Standing up. I don't like that. A fair number of people do it, and I notice all over them old to very old. None of the younger cruisers do it. Maybe because younger tend to get larger out boards, drive faster and keep a low center of gravity to keep the dink going faster.