To Casco Bay (Maine) sailors: Help?

[Dean Abramson]

This is a big-time long-shot.

We lost our inflatable yesterday somewhere in Casco Bay. The line parted. We were: in Broad Sound, between Cliff and Hope Islands, in Chandler's Cove, between Chandler's and Falmouth, etc. The wind was steady from the SW. Dinghy could have drifted all the way up towards Freeport or Harpswell. Who knows...?

It's an 8'3" Achilles. Grey w/ blue. No name on it, no registration. Hull #ACH00074H607. Last seen w/ oars snapped in place. Owner not all that smart.

If you see it, please let me know.

Today's advice: Look Aft More.

Dean

[Neil Gordon]

I'm making a note to add owner info, maybe on a laminated tag. A backup painter is a good idea, too.

Next boat at the anchorage lost his dinghy overnight. He was lucky, though, as the midnight wind shift but the dinghy on the beach instead of on its way to Portugal.

When he first sighted a dinghy on the beach, early Sunday morning, he was impressed that I was up that early and had already taken the dogs ashore. Until he looked astern and realized the dinghy on the beach was his. He took a morning swim.

[Joe CD MS 300]

Dean, did you make a security call on 16? A drifting dinghy could be considered a hazard to navigation. I'd think about letting the Coast Guard know even though late so theyu don't think someone fell overboard. Someone may let them know if they come across it. Maybe let any harbor masters in the area know also.

Those stick on letters and numbers used for mail boxes work well on dinghys. I put my name and cell no. on.the transom.

I also like two paimters for keeping the dinghy centered when towingam

Joe

[Ron M.]

I hope you're able to locate your inflatable.
I use a bridle to tow mine and have had no problems.......knock on wood.
It's made from 2 lengths of 1/2" dockline with a knot joining them about 8' from the 'short' end. A ss carabiner is spliced to each end and clipped to towing rings either side of the dingy's bow. The long ends are of course, cleated off to the boats stern cleats. Works pretty well. Good luck
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Ford Cargo

[eshanabrook]

We lost our beloved double ended sailing dingy one night off Cape Ann several decades ago. My brother called every harbormaster he could get on the phone. Boothbay answered, alas a yachtsman spotted her and towed her to Boothbay. “Half Truthâ€

[Dean Abramson]

Incredible!

I called around to a few boat yards, as soon as we got back home, and left some messages. Then late yesterday, the man at Chebeague Island Boatyard called to say he had my dinghy! He has yet to call me back and confirm the serial #, but he is sure it's mine from my description.

I am not sure what the whole story is; we spoke only briefly. It sounds like a sailboat found it adrift, then towed it to the boatyard since that was the nearest place they thought it might have strayed from. I should know more this afternoon. And I will probably have my dinghy back tomorrow!

Boat people, as a rule, are awesome!

I have now determined that the line was chafing on part of my windvane self-steering gear. I had never seen any chafe before. But Monday we sailed pretty hard all day upwind. It was cleated to the port stern cleat, and I now think that every time we were on port tack, the line chafed on the vane gear. There were lots of waves, and it probably was working up and down a lot.

Thanks for all of the encouragement. And I will be using your ideas for the next version of my painter.

Sail on!

Dean

[tartansailor]

Glad to hear that your boat was recovered.
Dick

[Maine Sail]

Glad to hear you found it. I just came back from the beach and walking the dogs and looked for your dinghy. We tend to get a few up here in Broad Cove every summer but yours as not one of them. Glad you found it!!

[bottomscraper]

This was taken after the dingy was lost...





Full Size Picture Link

[Ron M.]

congratulations...........glad you got her back.
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HAWAII DISPENSARIES

[Sea Hunt]

Hello Dean:

Not being familiar with Casco Bay I looked at some charts of the area, where your dink was found, etc. It's pretty amazing it did not float out to sea.

Congratulations

A thought occurs to me as I sit here at home looking forward to yet another Miami summer day of rain, lightning, etc.

If chafing against the windvane gear was the cause of the problem, could you cover the painters (I use the plural because I KNOW Marvo will require two painters - belt and suspenders ) with an appropriate length of garden hose or similar material:?: I guess I'm thinking of sort of like chafing gear for anchor lines, mooring lines, etc.

[Joe Myerson]

Dean,

Boat people are indeed incredible. It's great that your dinghy has been relocated.

Land-based folks aren't always so nice: I once lost a hard dinghy after leaving Allen Harbor on Cape Cod. I posted a notice at the local yacht club and, sure enough, somebody called my folks to say that they had found the boat.

They left it on their lawn so we could pick it up. By the time we arrived, it had gone--taken off the lawn by some passing motorist, presumably.

--Joe

[Dean Abramson]

Thanks, everyone, for all of the kind words. And to Rich for the photo.

We motored over to Chebeague a few days later, and there she was. Now she is tied up behing Loda May with big honkin line. And I just bought some new-fangled chafe protectors at the Newport Boat Show.

Dean