Best way to secure a tender when going ashore

As a visitor I was once one of the last leaving a yacht club bar as they closed up and local members dispersed. Happily strolled down to the quay to get my dinghy (upturned Avon with oars inside right up on top of quay), to find it gone. Yacht was anchored offshore, in outer harbour. Walked all round harbour and beach area and no sign of dinghy, someone must have carried it away, either down quay steps to water or away in/on car. Found phone box and called local police. All they could do was take a theft report.

At about 0200 after turning over about a dozen dinghies on the pier I finally found an old pram dinghy with one paddle inside, and borrowed/stole it. Came into harbour at about 0730 the next morning, returned the dinghy, and walked up to the police station after breakfast at the first cafe that opened. Fortunately an early morning dog walker had spotted my Avon on a beach two miles downwind.

Since then I have sometimes padlocked my dinghy if I can, though never up short to a popular pontoon. The cure for other people who do that - thus denying you a space - is a second padlock ......
 
As Sophie I have a 4mm wire a couple of mrts longer than dingy. I do occasionally use it.
Re Lulworth, carry dingy up to the wall by the cafe and leave it upturned leaning against the wall.
If you just leave it on the beach above HW line kids will either play in it or find it great fun to fill it with stones or sand.
The same goes for Studland. If I use the engine, an added measure is to pull the cap off the plug.
 
Since selfish behaviour has been mentioned, can I say a big "Hello" and an even bigger "Up yours" to the people at Arinagour last summer who thrashed their outboard to beat me, rowing, to the pier by ten seconds and then tied their dinghy across the steps.
 
JumbleDuck said:
Since selfish behaviour has been mentioned, can I say a big "Hello" and an even bigger "Up yours" to the people at Arinagour last summer who thrashed their outboard to beat me, rowing, to the pier by ten seconds and then tied their dinghy across the steps.
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Hope that you secured onto their dinghy (once they had legged it), then stepped ashore with your painter (via their dinghy) and tied off to the same ring (or whatever) that they beat you to?
 
If you use folding rowlocks they at least have to be unscrewed to be stolen, which might give pause to snappers-up of unconsidered trifles.

A UU clamp can be used through a thwart to padlock the oars to it (preferably with the oars under the thwart if they fit).

Where conditions allow you can drop a stern anchor twenty or thirty yards out before stepping ashore with a long painter. Then walk your painter down along the shore letting it out as you go, before you finally make the end fast. This leaves the boat afloat and away from the shore.

Mike
 
Wight Dawn said:
Depends on where you land I suppose. We have had no problems in lots of places up the west coast of Scotland, but within the Clyde we are more wary. We have had the dinghy set loose in Millport (twice) and got back to it with the shopping in Rothesay to find some yobs had slid it down the beach and were about to take off in it.
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Many years ago I stopped briefly in Arinagour to buy petrol before the shop shut. As I was tying up the dinghy a wee laddie offered to "look after your boat, mister". I said "you're from Glasgow, aren't you?", to which he looked completely baffled and asked "how did you know?".
 
It's a rare occurrence getting a dink stolen, happened to me twice over 35 years. Once a hard dink left on the shore tied to a chain without oars or rowlocks, "borrowed" by poachers who abandoned it & their nets when spotted by the Heddlu (Welsh Police). That was returned quite quickly - the nets were destroyed. The second time was an inflatable with oars & o/b left outside a YC I was visiting. A crew from Ireland left before me, but after the water taxi had stopped, so they took it, went to their boat & then cast it adrift to get rid of the evidence. That was a pain, but a local member gave me a lift back to the boat & the CG advised us in the morning where it might have ended up. they were absolutely right & we were able to recover it with 2 boat hooks tied together.

Generally, I don't leave dinks in well populated places so they are generally left with oars & LJs in them (I seldom bother much with an ob these days). I might be more circumspect in places full of day trippers. If there is an HM or some similar place nearby (even a chandlery) you could ask to leave oars & LJs with them.
 
DaveS said:
Many years ago I stopped briefly in Arinagour to buy petrol before the shop shut. As I was tying up the dinghy a wee laddie offered to "look after your boat, mister". I said "you're from Glasgow, aren't you?", to which he looked completely baffled and asked "how did you know?".
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Wee boy near Ibrox: A pound tae look after yer motor, mister?
Car owner: (Says nothing, points at big, fierce Alsation in the back)
Wee boy (Shouting to a friend): Haw, Erchie, come and have a look at this. It's a dug that can pit oot fires.

Searush said:
It's a rare occurrence getting a dink stolen, happened to me twice over 35 years. Once a hard dink left on the shore tied to a chain without oars or rowlocks, "borrowed" by poachers who abandoned it & their nets when spotted by the Heddlu (Welsh Police).
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That's Hedley

8013821358_b05e9ce7d0.jpg


(Well, it's what I think of every time I see a Welsh police car)
 
DaveS said:
Many years ago I stopped briefly in Arinagour to buy petrol before the shop shut. As I was tying up the dinghy a wee laddie offered to "look after your boat, mister". I said "you're from Glasgow, aren't you?", to which he looked completely baffled and asked "how did you know?".
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Wow! Great story. Thank you for sharing.
 
Mavanier said:
Reading this thread makes me feel quite lucky. Leave boots, oilies, lifejackets, outboard (on the rare occasions we use it), oars, all in or under the dinghy. Have happily done this whilst hitching a lift into the nearest village for the day, and so far everything has always been there on our return.
I suppose when we finally head south we will have to change our ways :(
Is there a scrote 'grazing line' on the map, and if so, where is it!?
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You may find that you don't have to head very far South for you to have to change your ways. I had my oilskins and lifejackets lifted from under the dinghy in Arisaig!
 
Best ever is to secure the dinghy to the ladder at Dixcart Bay, Sark. Boozy lunch - back to boat - did I forget to say it was at low tide we arrived? Tide 40 ft. Now that is when a long painter is advisable.


SimonFa said:
So in my second season I'm now planning on doing some overnight anchoring (as opposed to sticking to marinas) and I've just bough a tender (thanks to all those who commented on that thread).

One thing that they don't (need to) teach on the RYA courses is the best thing to do with the tender, ors and even life jackets when going ashore.

Any thoughts most appreciated. It looks like my first over-nighter will be Lulworth Cove or Sea Horse massacaring* at Studland and we plan to go ashore to eat.

Thanks in advance,

Simon

* For the SHT that's meant as a joke.
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With my dinghy, I used to anchor it just off the beach and have a spare line which i would run up the beach. Means you have less chance of things being nicked and saves dragging the dinghy up the beach and damaging it.
 
I get nervous when I leave the flubber with an outboard on the bracket, especially with my newish 4-stroke. As well as dismantling the collapsible oars, I often leave a bucket suspended in the water tied to the bow, in the he that this will stop the dinghy from being caught by a gust and capsizing.
 
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