Dinghy
Our dingy is a 10ft Avon inflatable with a rollup floor. The transom was replaced in New Zealand - as the old one was starting to fall apart - with a shiny new fiberglass over plywood one. We have had a lot of fun surfing behind the dinghy, as well as her functioning as our family car.
When we are sailing she lives on the fore deck, upside down with a black Sunbrella cover over her. With the staysail boom on you need to partially deflate her in order to get her under the boom and have the staysail still functional. We never use this boom anymore, see sail info for comments on this.
Notes: At nights we raise her out of the water on the spinnaker halyard and secure her on the outside of the life lines to the toe rail, as seen here in Tuvalu. This is a theft protection mechanism and also stops growth. Trail behind the boat if there is concern of high winds as she will buffet badly and it is very hard to control her in the peak of a squall. We have many dinghy related items we keep in a dinghy bag that fits in the dinghy's bow, see lazarette for details.We have great dinghy wheels allowing you to drag it up the most inhospitable beaches. They are located in the Stbd Lazarette.There is a tiny leak in the port pontoon by the bow. I have struggled to find adequate glue in the islands to fix this. I have hyperlon patches in the gasket tupperware in the middle shelf at the NavStation. Without mending, the dinghy needs a top-up pump every 5 days. Also the center spine under the floor needs a patch.There are a few holes under the boat where the wheels have rubbed. Very easily fixable as they are on a flat surface, however I was lacking the glue to undertake the job so they remain for you. Without fixing, the dinghy will get 3 inches of water in the bottom in 24 hrs. Either run fast with the 15Hp motor and the drain plug removed or get your morning exercise by 5 minutes of pumping with the dinghy bilge pump.The front handle was ripped off in a storm so I have devised a rope bridle - that is ultimately attached to the transom - so as to have a place on the bow to attach the painter to. You may want to purchase one of those stick on handles (or two, I like backups. Waking up to find your dinghy missing is a bad feeling.)
When we are sailing she lives on the fore deck, upside down with a black Sunbrella cover over her. With the staysail boom on you need to partially deflate her in order to get her under the boom and have the staysail still functional. We never use this boom anymore, see sail info for comments on this.
Notes: At nights we raise her out of the water on the spinnaker halyard and secure her on the outside of the life lines to the toe rail, as seen here in Tuvalu. This is a theft protection mechanism and also stops growth. Trail behind the boat if there is concern of high winds as she will buffet badly and it is very hard to control her in the peak of a squall. We have many dinghy related items we keep in a dinghy bag that fits in the dinghy's bow, see lazarette for details.We have great dinghy wheels allowing you to drag it up the most inhospitable beaches. They are located in the Stbd Lazarette.There is a tiny leak in the port pontoon by the bow. I have struggled to find adequate glue in the islands to fix this. I have hyperlon patches in the gasket tupperware in the middle shelf at the NavStation. Without mending, the dinghy needs a top-up pump every 5 days. Also the center spine under the floor needs a patch.There are a few holes under the boat where the wheels have rubbed. Very easily fixable as they are on a flat surface, however I was lacking the glue to undertake the job so they remain for you. Without fixing, the dinghy will get 3 inches of water in the bottom in 24 hrs. Either run fast with the 15Hp motor and the drain plug removed or get your morning exercise by 5 minutes of pumping with the dinghy bilge pump.The front handle was ripped off in a storm so I have devised a rope bridle - that is ultimately attached to the transom - so as to have a place on the bow to attach the painter to. You may want to purchase one of those stick on handles (or two, I like backups. Waking up to find your dinghy missing is a bad feeling.)
Dinghy Outboards
Mercury 15Hp
(For Photo see pushpit.) This was purchased brand new during our cruise through the Bahamas and it has been invaluable. We initially purchased it as a safety item after friends of ours towed our 42-foot yacht off a sand bank with their 15Hp dinghy. However we have had so much fun with it, from wakeboarding behind the dinghy to being able to explore places where Rosie can't get to. The motor is in excellent condition, however she needs a new prop as this one has started to spin after hitting the bottom. Bring back the old machines where hitting the bottom cost you a split pin instead of a whole new prop, but all the manufacturers have gone to this design now. We store this outboard on the inside of the pushpit, I felt uncomfortable having such a weight hanging off the outside of the rail. The instruction manual and spares are in a Tupperware with a purple lid. Spares include a zinc, spark plugs and a special tool for changing gear incase the throttle shifter breaks. (This happened once to us but after a warranty replacement it has been fine - do not change gear without motor running and keep internal linkage greased)
Nissan 5Hp
(For Photo see pushpit.) The little motor that could! It came with the boat when we purchased Rosie and will probably die with the boat. It is old and does not give full power (I think that is a carb setting I just never got round to looking at it) but it has never failed us. The safety stop button was disconnected in the distant past and so we stop her by pulling out the choke. To start her cold, pull choke out and try and start her, as soon as she starts or attempts to start, put in the choke. We use the smaller of the two outboards if we are to leave the dinghy in an area noted for crime, or if we have to drag her a long way up a beach without the wheels on (this outboard is much lighter than the 15hp). Otherwise the fun, fast one wins.
(For Photo see pushpit.) This was purchased brand new during our cruise through the Bahamas and it has been invaluable. We initially purchased it as a safety item after friends of ours towed our 42-foot yacht off a sand bank with their 15Hp dinghy. However we have had so much fun with it, from wakeboarding behind the dinghy to being able to explore places where Rosie can't get to. The motor is in excellent condition, however she needs a new prop as this one has started to spin after hitting the bottom. Bring back the old machines where hitting the bottom cost you a split pin instead of a whole new prop, but all the manufacturers have gone to this design now. We store this outboard on the inside of the pushpit, I felt uncomfortable having such a weight hanging off the outside of the rail. The instruction manual and spares are in a Tupperware with a purple lid. Spares include a zinc, spark plugs and a special tool for changing gear incase the throttle shifter breaks. (This happened once to us but after a warranty replacement it has been fine - do not change gear without motor running and keep internal linkage greased)
Nissan 5Hp
(For Photo see pushpit.) The little motor that could! It came with the boat when we purchased Rosie and will probably die with the boat. It is old and does not give full power (I think that is a carb setting I just never got round to looking at it) but it has never failed us. The safety stop button was disconnected in the distant past and so we stop her by pulling out the choke. To start her cold, pull choke out and try and start her, as soon as she starts or attempts to start, put in the choke. We use the smaller of the two outboards if we are to leave the dinghy in an area noted for crime, or if we have to drag her a long way up a beach without the wheels on (this outboard is much lighter than the 15hp). Otherwise the fun, fast one wins.
What are people saying about Sailing to Jessica?
"Great true sailing adventure. A couple cuts ties with land and sails around the world only to find what the were looking for all along. Fun read!." - Brenda on Goodreads.com
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