Death by Dinghy : Risks and Best Practices

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Dave22q

need to practice boarding your dinghy from the water. if it is not easy, buy or build an accessible boarding ladder. my RIB absolutely required one.

I don't want to get too far into it, but I had an incident that had me suddenly in the water. I have one of those steps that attach to a fitting in the floor of the dink that you can use to board, but you have to be in the dink to set it up, does no good when your suddenly in the water unplanned.
Luckily I tie the 3 gl fuel tank in the bow to keep it from moving around, I was able to grab the handle on it and pull myself in, otherwise I don't think I could have gotten back in.

[Bulawayo]

Originally Posted by exitstrategy

Hello All,

DR;TL - where do you put all of the kit and not get stolen at shoreside?

I have really appreciated this thread and I am putting together an action plan to remedy the gaps we have on our dinghy.

Context: we have the Highfield 3.5m dinghy that came with the Lagoon 450. I sold off the 4-stroke Honda for the 2-stroke 15HP Yamaha (such a great decision). We have oars (that I do not believe would do anything against the wind), a bailer, kill cord that we use outside of protected harbors (but I am shifting to using all the time), and a Bruce anchor (on too short of rode).

I carry the VHF if I ever do anything on "open" water... so I have a ways to go to match the best practices...

But where would I put all of these engine spares, headlamps, and so on where it wouldn't get stolen when we go ashore?

Have you guys modified your dinghy to have a secure trunk?

-Erik

We changed to all aluminium dinghies a few years ago; Fisherman and Boat Owner Ocean Craft 3300 Heavy Duty F&B's small craft special report
we opted for the 3.3m and a 2.6m for the kids - both with anchor wells complete with hatches that take a lock.
These dinghies are good but weigh a heck more than advertised. They can also be rowed with some success. We also have these as our primary lifeboat (as opposed to liferaft)....... and no, I have zero connection with the company/product besides having bought two of 'em.

[exMaggieDrum]

Originally Posted by exitstrategy

Hello All,

DR;TL - where do you put all of the kit and not get stolen at shoreside?

I have really appreciated this thread and I am putting together an action plan to remedy the gaps we have on our dinghy.

Context: we have the Highfield 3.5m dinghy that came with the Lagoon 450. I sold off the 4-stroke Honda for the 2-stroke 15HP Yamaha (such a great decision). We have oars (that I do not believe would do anything against the wind), a bailer, kill cord that we use outside of protected harbors (but I am shifting to using all the time), and a Bruce anchor (on too short of rode).

I carry the VHF if I ever do anything on "open" water... so I have a ways to go to match the best practices...

But where would I put all of these engine spares, headlamps, and so on where it wouldn't get stolen when we go ashore?

Have you guys modified your dinghy to have a secure trunk?

-Erik

I always carry a security cable and lock (marine grade) if I have any concern about theft. I lock the motor to the fuel tank. I have, a very few times, taken off the fuel line and taken it with me. Last resort though as gasoline is not a pleasant smell and stains.

A spare safety halyard is VIP. And the note about having one for the last one left on the dink is a good one. I'll have to think about how to do that. I usually only have the one and take it with me when ashore. Not that this will stop anyone who knows outboards!

Surfing beaches: First of all there is a limit to how big the surf is to go in on any given beach. And steep beaches can be worse too. My very first experience in relatively small surf on a very decent beach ended up with me under the dink with bad road/beach rash on my hip. Never had that happen again on a variety of landings in much worse conditions. I have been wet a few time though.

Getting off a surf beach is harder. Timing is critical. Waves tend to go in sets of three but that depends. So watch the waves until you see the pattern. And time it so you get a small wave coming in behind you as you get close. Turn off the motor for sure or at least put it in neutral. And keep the dink perpendicular to the waves.

Dink wheels are extremely useful in some areas where you will have beach landings. They don't work on rocks/cliffs but I don't usually try to "beach" on those LOL. My Danard wheels were excellent. I never had to raise my motor as they kept it above the beach. The wheels were big enough for even soft sand and they were easy to put up and down. Highly recommended. Cruisers who saw them in operation had severe wheel envy.

[Bulawayo]

We have an early set of these wheels (circa 2002?) and still have them. Brilliant worthwhile addition to any solid transom dinghy and a good visual recognition aid

Originally Posted by exMaggieDrum

I always carry a security cable and lock (marine grade) if I have any concern about theft. I lock the motor to the fuel tank. I have, a very few times, taken off the fuel line and taken it with me. Last resort though as gasoline is not a pleasant smell and stains.

A spare safety halyard is VIP. And the note about having one for the last one left on the dink is a good one. I'll have to think about how to do that. I usually only have the one and take it with me when ashore. Not that this will stop anyone who knows outboards!

Surfing beaches: First of all there is a limit to how big the surf is to go in on any given beach. And steep beaches can be worse too. My very first experience in relatively small surf on a very decent beach ended up with me under the dink with bad road/beach rash on my hip. Never had that happen again on a variety of landings in much worse conditions. I have been wet a few time though.

Getting off a surf beach is harder. Timing is critical. Waves tend to go in sets of three but that depends. So watch the waves until you see the pattern. And time it so you get a small wave coming in behind you as you get close. Turn off the motor for sure or at least put it in neutral. And keep the dink perpendicular to the waves.

Dink wheels are extremely useful in some areas where you will have beach landings. They don't work on rocks/cliffs but I don't usually try to "beach" on those LOL. My Danard wheels were excellent. I never had to raise my motor as they kept it above the beach. The wheels were big enough for even soft sand and they were easy to put up and down. Highly recommended. Cruisers who saw them in operation had severe wheel envy.

[Captain Bill]

The requirement for a stern light to be 1 meter above the bow lights is almost laughable. The primary reason is that no one makes a pole that long. Since the transom or motor is the only practical places to mount one and the transom is typically somewhat lower than the bow tube on an inflatable where the bow lights need to be mounted, so it takes a pole longer than 1 meter. Even the top of my engine is lower than my bow tube. The only solution I could come up with is to mount it on the top of my head. I met a guy in our marina that got a ticket because his stern light was not high enough (it was a standard 24" pole) and his body was blocking the light (not meeting the all round visibility requirement). The LEO did not specify on the ticket (just improper lights after dark) which requirement he had violated. Not surprisingly this was in Florida. So I took a look at all of the dinghy lights I could find for sale on the internet. None came with a 1 meter pole let alone one longer than 1 meter. The longest I saw was 24".

[Captain Bill]

Regarding reboarding an inflatable dinghy without a ladder or any assistance device, there is a technique that everyone should know. Here is a U-tube video showing how it is done. Believe me it really works and is not that hard to master. I did it on my second attempt. On my first attempt I left my dive fins on and they hung up in the opposite tube. I took the fins off and it went quite well. My wife now uses this as her standard boarding method from diving. I'm 64 and my wife is 65. The guy that taught it to me was 77 so it takes no special skill or strength. It just might save your life someday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liymmoy1nNc

[a64pilot]

Pretty sure my Navisafe pole is one meter, I'll measure it next time I'm down.
Funny as I think it was discontinued, I know I bought it at a very good price from Defender and when I just went to look for it, I could only find a three piece one.
Can you tell me why my big boats white light is only visible from the stern, but unless mistaken my dinghy requires an all around white?
I have a Navisafe tricolor and it is bright, and it says right on it USCG approved, I think it's legal for the big boat, but not the dinghy? Doesn't make much sense.


Sent from my iPad Pro using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Pretty sure my Navisafe pole is one meter, I'll measure it next time I'm down.
Funny as I think it was discontinued, I know I bought it at a very good price from Defender and when I just went to look for it, I could only find a three piece one.
Can you tell me why my big boats white light is only visible from the stern, but unless mistaken my dinghy requires an all around white?
I have a Navisafe tricolor and it is bright, and it says right on it USCG approved, I think it's legal for the big boat, but not the dinghy? Doesn't make much sense.


Sent from my iPad Pro using Cruisers Sailing Forum

It's because on your yacht you also have the steaming light on the mast, shining forward and to the side. BEtween the steaming and stern lights, you have 360 deg coverage.

Jim

[a64pilot]

Jim, but we have to have running lights on when under sail of course, so I guess under sail lighting doesn't require an all around white?


Sent from my iPad Pro using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[CarinaPDX]

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

The requirement for a stern light to be 1 meter above the bow lights is almost laughable. The primary reason is that no one makes a pole that long.

You probably need to look just a little harder; the largest name in recreational navigation lights - Aquasignal - has them, and has had them for decades (and I have had one for 20 years). For about $30 you can buy one from 42" to 60" high. Series 22 - Total Fit All-Round Pole Lights - Aqua Signal | Fisheries Supply

The reason you were ticketed is that you were blocking the light; I doubt that the LEO is going to care about a few inches too little height. So a 42" model would probably be enough, depending on how tall you are and where you sit. Mine (48") is mounted to a plug-in base on the inside of the transom. It really isn't hard to obey this rule...

Greg

[Tayana42]

a64pilot, here is a nav light guide from West Marine.

http://www.westmarine.com/WestAdviso...on-Light-Rules

Yes our lights requirements are different when under sail alone or when under power (if under power and sail we are under power).


S/V B'Shert

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by CarinaPDX

You probably need to look just a little harder; the largest name in recreational navigation lights - Aquasignal - has them, and has had them for decades (and I have had one for 20 years). For about $30 you can buy one from 42" to 60" high. Series 22 - Total Fit All-Round Pole Lights - Aqua Signal | Fisheries Supply

The reason you were ticketed is that you were blocking the light; I doubt that the LEO is going to care about a few inches too little height. So a 42" model would probably be enough, depending on how tall you are and where you sit. Mine (48") is mounted to a plug-in base on the inside of the transom. It really isn't hard to obey this rule...

Greg

If you bothered to read my post you would have noted that it was not me who was ticketed. The lights you posted about are for boats with electrical systems. Find me a portable battery powered light (D-cell or smaller) that will work on small inflatables without electrical systems, which what most people on this forum are using. I didn't find any. I also looked at the socket of the aquasignal. There is no way to mount such a socket on my transom and not on my previous dinghy either, even if I put in an electrical system I could not use it. I would bet most dinghy's have no way to mount them either.

[rognvald]

Originally Posted by hpeer

Around 1975, while i was in the USCG, a lady and two young Bucks went for a dingy ride between two Bahamian islands. The motor died. First one, then the other buck decided to swim for it. Never to be seen again.

After a few days we called off the search. The the ladies husband had some influence and we took another shot at it. One of our C-130's found her, standing on the dingy, top in one hand, bottom in the other, waving and shouting. ( yes, there were pics) A helo out of Miami picked her up. She gave a friend of mine who winched her in a big kiss.

She had survived drinking her own urine.

Perhaps some of you will remember the death at Allan's Cay, Bahamas in the early 2000's. A young, newly-wed couple was partying on another's boat in the anchorage and when they were leaving, at night, saw their dinghy drifting astern in the strong current. The husband jumped in to retrieve it and disappeared. Calls were made to BASRA and there was no reply. The USCG Miami replied within the hour and sent a plane the next day for the search. Local US small aircraft on other islands also helped in the search the next day. When the CG stopped their search, the distraught woman hired a private plane and continued the search for the next three days. A week later, an upturned dinghy matching its description was spotted by USCG aircraft drifting due South of the Tongue of the Ocean close to the Great Bahama Bank. There were many people upset in the anchorage over the course of the next few days as BASRA didn't show up until several days after the incident. The area, because of its strong reversing current and pathway to the ocean is known for sharks. The body was never found.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Police Call Death Of 12-Year-Old Boy During Sailing Lesson An Accident « CBS New York

CENTERPORT, N.TY. (CBSNewYork) — Police investigating the death of a 12-year-old boy are calling it a “tragic accident” after he was killed during a sailing lesson on Long Island.

It happened Tuesday at the Centerport Yacht Club in Suffolk County.

At around 3 p.m., the boy and two other children were doing a “man overboard drill” in the waters of Northport Harbor, practicing what to do when a sailboat capsizes. All of them were wearing life jackets.

Two of the children returned on to the sailboat, but police said an 18-year-old instructor pulled the boy into a Zodiac inflatable boat equipped with an outboard motor. Police said while on the ride back to shore, the boy fell out and was struck by the boat’s propeller.

“He became entangled in the propeller, causing massive injuries to the chest,” Sgt. James Scimone said.

The instructor pulled the boy back into the boat and performed CPR until EMTs arrived. The boy was rushed to Huntington Hospital, where he died.

Police say no one was at fault.

“We are investigating this thing strictly as an accident,” Scimone said.

Meanwhile, the community and the 18-year-old instructor are now distraught.

“He’s in shock, he’s very upset, his family is with him,” Sgt. James Scimone said.

Another instructor who also tried to perform CPR on the boy was also taken to the hospital for shock."

[zeehag]

safety equipment in surf landing situations in real time cruising:
as you will be repeatedly wearing this little boat as a hat, you will want to omit all bits of alleged safety in dinghies . leave such items on your mother ship. they become projectiles to compound your gonnabe headache from hell. you will lose many items and require replacement until you learn timing of swells and seas without looking at them, as you need also to watch the beach where you will hopefully land. hahahaha
height of these swells without constantly watching em
pad all hard spots of dink with the pfds and swim noodles you can find
if you leave the outboard on the dinghy, make sure you get enough speed to land without flipping and get enough take off speed to avoid being swamped on departure thru the surf. this can happen in 6 inch surf. watch pangas land in san felipe and zihuatenejo ...
your laptop will thank you as will your smartass fone.
watch you tube and read a lot. none of this matters unless you are practicing the fine art of avoidance if headaches. is actually a fine waste of time. great entertainment , however.
remember you are always entertainment for the rest of the fleet and yes they WILL see your horror. hahahahaha. every time.
make sure your panties are clean before beginning this task, and the videos are complete. no missing 18 mins.....
i am soo glad i was able in my life to learn how to move with a boat and row a leaky dinghy.
videos and reading do not make agility and do not magically create your safety and ability.
get real time practice, as that is the only way you know what it is.