I should like to comment first on the question raised by Mr. D. Cole in his letter. “Has encouraging the small power boat owner particularly those who own small outboard cruisers been considered or are we really the Sailing Dinghy Cruising Assn.?”

The answer is “yes”. I once thought that all forms of cruising in small boats should be encouraged but my ideas were not shared so I quickly dropped the subject of power cruisers.

Now, many years later and bearing in mind the noise and power of outboards, I think the question boils down to this:-

Assuming a boat is cruising up a secluded creek at about 6 knots using an outboard, do we care that wild life is disturbed and that the occupants in a nearby cruising dinghy who have sailed many miles in search of quiet surroundings are trying to salvage the remains of their evening meal from the bottom boards?

In Ron Long’s letter with which I fully agree except the last sentence, I think that the emphasis should be on the open cruising boat for the following reasons:-

1. Cruising in an open boat involves more problems where comfort and handling are concerned. 2. For cruising under sail the open boat is more efficient than the pocket cabin cruiser. It has a greater mastery of the wind, a greater cruising range in the windward direction which means a greater scope when considering the number of possible destinations. 3. The open boat possesses the ability under oars, to explore areas which are too shallow for sailing hence is more versatile than the cabin cruiser.

Yours sincerely, Eric Coleman