We think that most of the activities to do with cruising are very safe, especially compared to urban life. Of the risks we do face, we consider setting off in the dinghy to be the highest. This was brought home seven years ago at Nantucket Island, on the East Coast of the US.
We’d gone ashore for an early movie and exited to thick fog. Beowulf was anchored about half a mile from the village docks, and was lost in the mist. We would have spent the night ashore but this was the height of summer and there was nary a room to be had. We considered sleeping on the park benches, but it was wet and cold. So we felt our way through the anchorage, realized we were lost, and made it back to the marina. The second time we tried we found ourselves heading to sea out the entrance channel. For the third attempt we enlisted the aid of the shoreboat which was equipped with a compass, GPS, and of course VHF.
This experience lead us to think back to all the places we have been with our dinks and the trouble we could have gotten into if something had gone wrong. As a result, we put together a series of emergency kits to be stowed in the dinghy, depending on the risk scenario. The local use kit (above) is always with us.
It contains basic tools, spare spark plugs, a hand starter cord for the outboard, small 406 EPIRB, GPS, and VHF. We also carry a spare prop (no shown) in case the hub on the outboard prop becomes damaged.
There is also a signaling kit carried in the locker forward.
Of course we have a set of oars, anchor, and 200 foot (60m) rode.
Our next instance of dinghy clarity came on a beautiful day of exploration in an isolated part of British Columbia. We had our grab bag, but nobody would hear us on VHF, and even the EPIRB might go unnoticed for a while. So we purchased a waterproof back pack and loaded it with gear and supplies that would help us survive in the wilderness. This included a tarp, ground cloth, compact saw and fire starting items, bug and bear spray, and a variety of warm clothes, food, and water. There are prescription meds and fishing gear appropriate for use ashore and afloat.
You only need to spend a couple of minutes in a life raft in harbor to realize this is not a good place if there is an alternate plan. Although we do carry a raft, our first choice for abandoning ship would be a prepared dinghy. Assuming a sea state which makes this practical – and that is typical what we cruise in – the dinghy offers mobility to close with another vessel, or the shore.
Three years ago we had a boom tent made.
The tent stores rolled up along the gunnel. It will provide some protection from the elements, hot or cold.
We also now carry a drogue to be used off the bow if required.
Abandon ship supplies are tied into the dinghy as well. In addition to the grab bag, dinghy flares, and waterproof back pack, we add
a container of SOLAS parachute flares and a waterproof duffel bag with longer term survival gear.This adds food, clothing appropriate to the climate, additional meds and personal hygiene supplies.
We also make sure there are always two full gas tanks loaded on board as well as 20 liters of water.
If the dink is to be used as a life raft then there has to be a means of launching it under duress. Our assumption has always been that if we have to leave the mother ship it will be as a result of a fire. In this case the odds are the electric winch normally used for hoisting will not work. For this reason there is no stanchion outboard of the dink. The aft end of the life line wires are lashed so the lashing can be cut free. Getting rid of the lifelines means the dink needs just a small hoist with the manual winch to get it overboard.
There is one item we have left for the end, a small backup outboard permanently mounted on the dinghy. If our trusty Yamaha were to fail us a long ways from home, it would be nice to have a plan which did not involve rowing or calling for help. However, the logistics of a second small outboard coupled with 21 years of trouble free experience with our 30HP Yamahas has lead us to defer on a back up.
Posted by Steve Dashew (December 17, 2009)
December 17th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Steve-
A few years back, a yacht caught fire on the Straits of Juan De Fuca. The experienced couple involved were able to launch their dinghy with an emergency chain hoist (as their power hoist was inoperable). Once they were clear,they became aware the outboard start key was aboard their fully engulfed yacht. Since they were in a well populated cruising area, they received help almost immediately. But………
We now leave out start key on the dink and have an alternative means for launch. Most small outboard motors can be easily started with a rope, but when time is of the essence, a quick exit is preferred. We also carry a few extra shear pins as well as a spare prop.
December 17th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Hi Bill:
Good points.
We leave the key in the ignition when the dinghy is on deck, and have another stored aboard as well. There is also a spare safety cut out (the device worn on your wrist) in the bag of tools. Our engine won’t run without this.
January 1st, 2010 at 3:23 pm
A couple of years ago we were aboard our Sundeer giving a briefing to our new crew members before departing Guernsey for La Coruna, Spain via the Bay of Biscay. While demonstrating how to deploy the (brand new) ocean 8 man life raft we had ordered from the states,I asked a crew member to fasten the painter from the yacht’s stern rail to the eyelet of the raft, a 3/8″ stainless steel cable with a nicor press fitting for a loop to tie the painter to. As he cinched his bowline knot on the painter, the nicor press fitting simply slid off and it was apparent that the loop was totally faulty. Had he not tested the knot with a pull, we simply would not have known. Great lesson here, don’t depend on safety gear just because it’s new. By the way, the other end of the cable fastened to the raft inside the break away fiberglass container was also faulty. This was clearly a quality control issue at the factory. We ended up unpacking the raft by hand, blowing it up by hand, weighing the CO2 cylinder to verify it had gas in it, checked out all emergency equipment and rations, added a few items and then repacked the entire raft by hand on the dock. Hope this helps someone out there.