Safety Boat Techniques- Lesson 8
Safety Boat Handling - The tale continues!!!
Those of you who avidly read every word in the last article about recovering people, have probably been eagerly awaiting the next lesson, so wait no more - here it is!!!
Now that you have safely recovered the poor unfortunate(s) from the water, it is time to bring them and their boat ashore.
At this point, it is assumed that you are an excellent tier of knots. If not then it will be very embarrassing when you arrive at the jetty with just the towrope behind you
There are three ways of towing a dinghy (we will cover canoes and sailboards in later sessions - better still sign up for a course!).
Method 1. Attach a line from the stern of the safety boat, to the bow of the boat to be towed. You will need to attach the line to the safety boat by using a bridle on the transom of the safety boat. This will take the line from the centre of the safety boat to a point on the dinghy. The best point is around the mast and, if there is a cleat or Samson post on the foredeck of the dinghy, make sure that the line is firstly attached to the mast with a round turn and a bowline. Then take the line around the foredeck cleat or Samson, keeping it taut. Make sure that the line then goes through a fairlead at the bow, before being tied to the safety boat. If there is not a fairlead, you will need to make one up - sign up for a course to find out how!
Once the line is attached, get the crew of the dinghy into the safety boat, and make sure that the helm is in the dinghy - (after all, it was probably the helm who caused the problem, so they should be 'taught a lesson' - quote from crew of RS400!!!). The reason for this is that the dinghy needs to be steered and as the safest place is in the safety boat, the dinghy Crew will want to be there. Of course, you will have lowered the sails and furled them up neatly, and raised the centre / dagger board. Did I mention that you will learn how to do this efficiently on the much acclaimed Brenig Safety Boat Course?
Let the wind take the dinghy downwind of you, then you can start the engine - of course you switched the engine off during the recovery of the crew and helm, and whilst you were recovering the dinghy - didn't you! Start the engine, gently motor away from the dinghy, which will follow you if the knots are good and drive slowly back to the jetty. Most important, as you approach the jetty, start slowing down in plenty of time - remember, you've got brakes, the dinghy being towed ain't! A fast approach whilst being quite spectacular will probably result in- fast boat + fixed jetty + no brakes = loud bang and expensive repairs! When at the jetty, tie up the safety boat, then bring the dinghy to you.
Method 2. After recovering the dinghy, make sure that the sails are furled up neatly, lift centreboard / dagger board, remove rudder and fasten it into the dinghy - if you lose it on the way back it'll cost you a lot of money. Use a long towline, and make a loop in the centre, using a figure of eight knot. Hang the loop on the rudder pintle, and take the ends under the dinghy, and fasten to the thwarts or mast. Fasten a short towline from the safety boat to the loop on the long towline, which can now be taken off the pintle. Let the dinghy drift down wind, and if the knots are good, it will stop when it reaches the limit of the towline. If it doesn't, blame your crew!!! Make sure that the dinghy crew are in the safety boat and then start the engine, and drive back - you can go as fast as you want to! However remember to start slowing down very early, especially as you get near to the jetty - the dinghy goes awfully fast and will pass you if you slow too quickly. Oh yes, the dinghy is being towed backwards.
Method 3. Probably the most controllable way of towing - but needs a fair bit of towline and fenders. Sails are furled, rudder removed, centreboard / daggerboard lifted. Fenders are fastened on the side of the safety boat, between the dinghy and the safety boat flotation bag, and the dinghy brought alongside. Fasten a line, tightly, from the bow of the dinghy to the stern of the safety boat. Take a second line, fastened tightly, from the stern of the dinghy to the bow of the safety boat. Fasten a third line from the mast of the dinghy to the safety boat and then a fourth line from the mast again, but going out over the far side of the dinghy, and coming up between the two boats, and fastened tightly to the safety boat. The safety boat transom must be past the dinghy transom. Make sure that everyone is in the safety boat, start the engine and drive back - you can go as fast as you like - the faster you go, the wetter everyone will get! When you get back to the jetty, tie the safety boat up and then see to the dinghy. Simple isn't it?
And did I mention that all of these will be practised on the world acclaimed Brenig Safety Boat Course? More details from the Training Officer - must get the commercial in!!!
George Billington