snowleopard
Active member
We were anchored off Burgh Island waiting for the tide to go up-river and decided to recce a drying-out spot at half tide in the dinghy. As we went up the river we hit the a submerged rock and lost the prop from the outboard.
After a bit of fuming we poled the boat to the side and walked out to the entrance of the river against the flood tide. The plan was to row back out to the boat which was about 400 yds offshore. The wind was blowing across our course and the tide pushing us back towards the river. With typical rubber duck type oars and rowlocks we could make little progress and after a few yards one of the oars snapped where the s/s pivot had set up internal corrosion. In the end the beach lifeguards towed us out with their rib and all was well but it did get me to thinking of possible consequences had things been different, e.g no one else about, ebb tide etc. A simple trip ashore could have led to life-threatening consequences. I believe there are regular deaths in the Caribbean when local boats have engine failure and drift downwind from the islands.
I'm now giving serious thought to a proper means of propulsion for when the motor gives up. How do you address this problem or do you think as I used to 'I've got oars, I'll manage'?
After a bit of fuming we poled the boat to the side and walked out to the entrance of the river against the flood tide. The plan was to row back out to the boat which was about 400 yds offshore. The wind was blowing across our course and the tide pushing us back towards the river. With typical rubber duck type oars and rowlocks we could make little progress and after a few yards one of the oars snapped where the s/s pivot had set up internal corrosion. In the end the beach lifeguards towed us out with their rib and all was well but it did get me to thinking of possible consequences had things been different, e.g no one else about, ebb tide etc. A simple trip ashore could have led to life-threatening consequences. I believe there are regular deaths in the Caribbean when local boats have engine failure and drift downwind from the islands.
I'm now giving serious thought to a proper means of propulsion for when the motor gives up. How do you address this problem or do you think as I used to 'I've got oars, I'll manage'?