It’s been a long wait, but we are ready to leave the marina and need some space to clear our heads. But before we go, there are a number of jobs to do… and will the authorities actually let us out?
How to secure your dinghy in waterspouts, lightning, and squalls!
With unknown reefs and rocks scattering the seabed running aground was a frightening possibility. And in an isolated part of Indonesia, with no-one around to come to our aid, we were in a precarious position.
All Hail The Hero
After returning from a coffee we found a group of lads looking over the harbour wall, waves smashing up the side. There, in the water completely submerged, were our dinghies, barely afloat. Even the outboard was underwater!
Jamie’s Review of The Porta-Bote Published in Sailing Today
Jamie makes it as ‘technical advisor’ in April’s edition of Sailing Today, which sees his initial review of the famous American folding dinghy in print. In the article Jamie looks at the simplicity with which the boat is commissioned, and takes it for a row. The review will be followed up in six months time when he puts the outboard on the back, takes it into rougher weather and attempts to stow it on deck.
You can see the full review by subscribing to Sailing Today online; better still, head down your newsagent and buy a copy!
Kids Of Kerala Are Certified!
A few weeks ago I received an invite to attend the Kerala Watersports Sailing Organisation Certificate Awards. I’d already met Captain Jolly Thomas who is the man responsible for teaching young children how to sail their little, second-hand Optimist dinghies. In a country that has no real sailing heritage and with next to no funds Jolly has achieved the near-impossible by creating a small but successful sailing club for children. Set up as a charitable organisation the least I could do was attend the ceremony and maybe invite a couple of other western sailors to join me. Terry of ‘Roam II’ and Brian and Maureen of ‘Suryana’ came along to give their support.
Folding PortaBote – Our New Indestructible Tender On Video
Boating is about pleasure but if there is one thing that gets me down it’s having to repair yet another puncture in my dinghy. The coral beaches of Eritrea gave our Tinker a real thrashing and quite frankly I got fed up with lugging this huge weight on and off Esper every time we wanted to go ashore. Liz and I decided, therefore, to treat ourselves to an unsinkable, indestructible, lightweight, folding Portabote. It stows like a surfboard, commissions in minutes and is fast! Check out the first of two reviews of this boat, including a video clip of the assembly. Worth every penny? Quite possibly. Strangest looking thing on our boat? Very definitely…
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