Do you have oars in your dinghy all the time? I’m amazed at how many cruisers don’t.
Like an anchor, having dinghy oars is a safety precaution — if your trusty outboard sputters unexpectedly (and it happens semi-frequently with gasoline quality in other countries), the ability to row may mean the difference between drifting out to sea on an outgoing tide or an easy paddle back to the boat.
Our oars fit neatly in the side velcro tabs that the AB dinghy has for that purpose. Before we had the AB Inflatable, we had an older Caribe 8 foot roll-up dinghy. It had convenient straps to fit the oars in the oarlocks and then slip back in the rear slip.
If you don’t have any velcro or special slots to keep the oars out of the way, simply lay them along each side of the dinghy floor. We have collapsible oars which make it easy to make them small enough to fit inside in their velcro.
Oars can be used for many other things aboard – especially when you’re exploring places that have a ban on outboard – or any – motors. Shroud Cay in the Exumas Land and Sea Park comes to mind, as does many of the rivers in central america. Here we explore a freshwater creek on the mainland of the San Blas Islands, Panama… A dinghy drift … which is a floating cocktail party with many dinghies tied together is another prime use for a few strategically placed oars guiding the dinghies while the sun sets over the palm trees. Aaahhhhhh….. life is good!
Don’t go anywhere without your dinghy oars!
