Cruising World - May 2016

6

may 2016

cruisingworld.com

T

he next best thing to

having a sailboat big

enough to actually get

you somewhere is bringing

along a tender small enough

that you can easily go of

exploring once you’re there.

One of my best dinghy rides

yet came late one evening

several years ago in Tenants

Harbor, Maine. A friend and I,

along with several old pals, had

sailed our two boats overnight

from Boston. We’d had a bit of

everything along the way — a

fl ooded bilge, confusing lights

illuminating a fl eet of fi shing

boats, a nasty midnight squall

— and arrived just after dark the

next day ready for a hot meal

and a cold rum bomb, though

not necessarily in that order.

Well into the evening

(and said bombs), the infl at-

ables got launched and we

embarked on a lengthy harbor

tour that culminated, as I

recall, with the wooden boat

lovers in the crew lovingly

cooing over and caressing

the planks of a Herreshof

Rozinante that they swore

was the fi nest craft ever built.

They really became quite

intimate with that little vessel.

Daylight sorties — out to

a reef for some snorkeling, or

under low bridges to investi-

gate backwater eddies — are

quite entertaining too. Once, in

Puerto Escondido, near Loreto,

Mexico, I woke up early one

morning during Loreto Fest,

an end-of-the-season party for

the cruising crowd in the Sea of

Cortez. I was a guest on one of

the boats taking part in what’s

become an annual Seawind

catamaran rally, and it being my

fi rst time to Baja by boat, I was

eager to see the sights.

As the sun rose over the

hills, I sneaked away in the

infl atable with camera in

hand to check out the array of

long-legged cruisers anchored

all around us. To be honest, as

good as the party was later in

the day, my lasting memory

is of puttering around those

sailboats as the sun painted

fi rst the mountains and

then the sea with a stunning

palette of hues.

As much fun as I’ve had in

our array of small infl atables

and prams, I think our kids

have had more. We discov-

ered early on that we could

buy peace and quiet on the

mothership in exchange for

letting them paddle around

the harbor on their own.

We’d keep an eye on them,

of course, and summon them

back if they strayed too far.

But by the time they were old

enough (and strong enough)

to fi gure out how to lower

and start the engine, we were

already confi dent they could

be trusted on their own.

A kid in command of her

very own ship — could there be

a better antidote to being stuck

on a sailboat with a bunch of

adults for days on end?

One day a couple of springs

ago, I nearly fell of the dock

when on a whim my wife, Sue,

told a dockmate she’d buy his

Dyer sailing dinghy. I wasn’t

opposed to the idea, mind you,

just surprised that she’d go

all in on something we hadn’t

really even considered.

She is a wise woman, for we

quickly discovered that there

is nothing like sailing into a

harbor, dropping the hook

and, well, going for a sail. The

Dyer is well-mannered when

towed, stows easily on the

foredeck, can be rigged in a

jif y, and is about as simple to

handle as it gets, with a single

sail. It is also, we would learn,

quite versatile, because even

if the wind dies or the rudder

breaks (it did), it can be easily

rowed home. It’s much easier,

in fact, to propel by oar in a

stif breeze than it is to row

our 10-foot infl atable halfway

back to the boat from shore,

having forgotten the gas tank

for the outboard. But that’s a

story for another time.

The latest additions to our

little armada are a stand-up

paddleboard and a rotomolded

kayak. Like the Dyer, they’re

easy to haul aboard and lash

down on deck. The kayak

is a bit faster, but I get

claustrophobic sitting in it,

and besides, I’m willing to

stand and paddle along at my

own pace. What’s the hurry to

go nowhere in particular?

A couple of years ago, we

believed we had laid to rest the

sailor’s curse, bigger-boatitis.

Our Sabre 34, we concluded,

was more than adequate to

carry us in comfort anywhere

we might have the time to sail

to. But now I’m rethinking all

that. With davits and another

10 feet on deck, think of all

the other fun toys we could

bring along.

Early-morning sunlight lights up the mountains around

Puerto Escondido, Mexico, home to Loreto Fest, a party

hosted annually by the Hidden Port Yacht Club.

A kid in command of her very own ship — could there be a better antidote to being stuck

on a sailboat with a bunch of adults for days on end?

BY MARK PILLSBURY

Editor’s Log

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MARK PILLSBURY