Soon after getting my Otter dinghy, I found in an experiment on the sailing school lake that when capsized it floats with the centre-board quite high. Moreover, the board, being shaped from just 15mm ply, is unlikely to serve as a lever to right the boat without the danger of snapping. Thereafter I finally arrived at two provisions in case, despite all care, I should capsize in open water.

The first, picked up from something I read, was to have a thickish (8mm) polypropylene rope on each side of the hull. Each rope is attached at the forward end by a thinner line to the jib sheet lead. The ropes then pass aft along the outside of the hull just under the gunwale, each ending in a spliced loop just short of the rudder. The looped ends are joined under slight tension by a piece of thin shockcord that passes behind the upper rudder pintle, i.e. on the side of the transom. The ropes and shock cord are tied with thin terylene line both sides with a knot that needs only a pull on the loose end to undo. These knots remain within reach from the water when the boat is on its side. Then the relevant rope can be used to haul the boat upright.

The second provision is a rope-ladder to help me, in sodden clothing, to climb back into the boat. It can also serve in the first instance as a yet more powerful pulling aid to right the boat. With the latter use in mind, the ladder is designed to lie over the capsized hull from the upper gunwale and to sink about four feet deep into the water. The submerging rungs are made of rigid, grey PVC tube, the upper from beech broom handle. All are bored near each end to pass 7mm braided terylene and are locked in place by a simple granny knot each side above and below. The wooden rungs that are to lie against the hull have to be lifted to allow finger space and this is done by having a 3 inch diameter cork bored out and stuck on at both ends. The lengths of the three affected rungs are such that the corks can nest. There needs to be at least one plain rung inboard of the gunwale. The side ropes of the ladder come together at a single, nylon rope thimble which had been set in the centre of the single length of rope that makes the complete ladder.

The single thwart of the Otter crosses the wooden capping of the centreboard case, to which it is screwed, and a loop of terylene line round this junction is the anchorage for the rope ladder, the nylon thimble running freely on this. The lower, PVC rungs are rolled up and loosely tied into a bundle, and this is rolled into the upper, wooden rungs. The whole roll makes about 6 inches in diameter and it is placed low on the bottom from where, in case of a capsize, it would fall into the water. The tied PVC rungs are weighty enough to be thrown over the upper gunwale, or the ladder can be led round over the transom and onto the upper gunwale. If the boat can be righted by a side rope as above, the ladder is taken just to the transom for climbing aboard. Happily I have not had to use either of these devices in anger, but they have been a source of assurance to me in all my cruises on fresh and salt water alike. The ladder, though, has proved its worth as an accommodation ladder at the transom when I have swum from the anchored boat on warm sunny days. I should add that climbing a free rope ladder needs a bit of practice because as soon as the foot puts weight on it, it tends to shoot forward away from you. One has to keep the foot in line below the body.

To have given measurements of my ladder would be of no use for other dinghies, so I would just say that my plain rungs are about ten inches overall. Both the side ropes and the ladder are never removed from the boat.