Dinghy Ad venture s
Dinghies are capable of long open-water trips if you feel ready for a challenge.
Inshore waters provide a gentle introduction to exploring and even an overnight expedition.
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‘a really nice anchor point where you can go for a swim and have a picnic.’ I’d add the unexpected beach at Silver Bay. Edmund notes a rise in dinghy cruising
over racing in the last year: ‘Especially with Covid, people don’t want the stress or time commitment of racing. They just want to go for a jolly.’
outdoor inspiration
And that’s the RYA’s goal in a nutshell. By providing a glut of information, it wants to inspire less intrepid dinghy sailors to go exploring. ‘I’m imagining grandparents with children or families or young adults,’ says Michelle. ‘I hope the trails give them that bit of confidence to do something different, to have a little adventure.’ By the time you read this, Ullswater will be joined by cruising trails on the Norfolk Broads’ Hickling Broad, Great Cumbrae in the Firth of Clyde, Northumberland’s Kielder Water, Milford Haven, Rutland, and the Solent’s Brownsea Island and Hamble. Strangford Lough, Bala, Chichester Harbour and Salcombe will appear later this year. Each trail has all you need for a truly memorable day afloat. And you don’t need to be an excitable seven-year-old to make the most of these mini adventures.
To download a Dinghy Trail visit
www.rya.org.uk/go/dinghytrails
Overnighting – a beginner’s guide
Words: ROGER BARNES W
ith plenty of experience of sailing your dinghy under your belt, maybe
you’re hankering after a change from racing, and more ambitious sailing than simply pottering about. Is it time to consider dinghy cruising?
A proper cruise has a destination. When you cast off, you’ll be ‘on passage’
to somewhere new. The best destination is a place where you’ll spend the night away from base, sailing there in complete autonomy, with the gear stowed aboard for two days away on the water. That is a real voyage. It’s best not to be too ambitious on a first dinghy cruise, though. It’s a lot
of work converting a dinghy to sleep aboard under canvas, so you’ll probably choose to camp on the foreshore for this first cruise. Select somewhere sheltered and secluded that you’ve already reconnoitred from the land first. If it’s in tidal waters, pick a night with high water morning and evening, so you can dry out your boat on the beach overnight. Apart from the usual camping equipment – tent, mattress, sleeping bag,
sleeping bag,
cooking gear – concentrate on the clothes to stay dry and warm. And don’t neglect taking lots of snacks. You’ll learn so much on even a short overnight cruise about yourself and about your boat to inform and inspire many more ambitious voyages in the future. And when you return to base the next day, everything will seem different, because now you’ll be seeing it with the eyes of a seasoned mariner.
New Dinghy Trails are available now and more will be launched later this year.
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