I was surprised to read that a man is considered lost to dinghy cruising simply because he buys a “yacht”. The term “yacht” is often very misleading. More often than not this refers to a large dinghy with a small cabin and a little ballast.

When the Association was formed most members owned dinghies, hence the name, but at the same time any small cruiser was made welcome. Most of us would like a “lid” on our boats, but better to be captain of a ten footer than deck hand on a schooner, and a man must cruise in what he can afford. Small boat cruising is our interest, and the problems and joys are common to both covered and open “wagons”.

The usual order of progress for the cruising man who has to keep a wary eye on the pennies is:-

(1) A small dinghy and camping ashore. (2) A larger dinghy with camping awning. (3) A dinghy with small cuddy or cabin. (4) A small cruiser with some ballast.

Just where we start and how far we go is governed purely by finance in most cases.

More sailing men are lost to matrimony than any other cause. The dinghy cruiser who “swallows the anchor” must take into consideration several factors. Wives as a rule don’t weigh as much as our old 16 stone beer-swilling mate and they are rather more particular about keeping themselves and gear dry, particularly if Junior comes along. No more that thrash across the channel in an open boat. From now on it’s a small cabin, shorter trips, and, dare I say it, some ballast.

A small dinghy doesn’t require ballast, nor probably a larger one which is cruised exclusively in reasonably sheltered water, where a “bolt hole” is always within easy reach. For a larger dinghy however, faced with a hard thrash to windward along an exposed coast with harbours few and far between (i.e. north Cornish coast) it makes all the difference between getting somewhere and bouncing up and down in the same hole with a rapidly tiring crew.

Open dinghy cruising is the finest preparation there is for deep sea cruising. Many a man with a small cabin cruiser is still very much a dinghy cruiser at heart and practice, so here’s hoping we see more of them at our meetings and rallies, and very welcome they’ll be. Yours sincerely, John Reeve, Newquay.