Posted by Bill Wallace-King on March 04, 2007 at 20:49:17 from 86.132.217.98 user Bill_Wallace.
In Reply to: Re: Journey back from Secret Water posted by Laurence Monkhouse on March 04, 2007 at 08:39:06:
"But this would have been under his direct supervision and in known weather and tide conditions"
I agree totally with "in known weather and tide conditions", but would question "under his direct supervision". Supervision of a sailing craft can be fairly effective from a rescue boat close alongside, in a river. At sea though, in my book, the skipper is Master under God. An Admiral can take responsibility for / supervise a fleet, but cannot do much about the management and handling of each craft in it.
I have sailed our Topper, ("Scarab"), out to sea from Secret Water, but would not have let my children do so unless I was to hand in an inflatible (i.e. in a boat of some use as a rescue craft). On the occasion I went to sea, I had the delightful experience of being escorted out, at circa 08.00hrs, by a playful young seal. It frolicked at the stern of the Topper, on one occassion actually touching the rudder.
In the case of young Alex C-B and his friend, I imagine it did look pretty intimidating. The dinghy in question is only 8ft long, with limited freeboard. It's quite lightweight, (I know, 'cos I've helped recover it to stow it on the coachroof), and it sails beautifully with my ballast in the bottom, (I know, 'cos I've sailed it in Amazon Creek. But would I put to sea in it? I'd have to be pretty short of alternatives. Having said that, an aquaintance has towed his identical dinghy at sea from the Deben to the South West Coast.
Your point on towing two dinghies is well made though, and of course the larger part of the voyage was in the safer waters of the harbour and the Orwell River.
We have always been happy to tow the Topper at sea, but it weighs next to nothing, and we can string it a very long way behind on a lightweight floating rope. Even then, it's prone to try to overtake us or surf into our cockpit if it's rough at the Deben Bar. Towing a hefty clinker dinghy or two at sea is an altogether different prospect.
As has already been said, Commander Walker was in a bit of a hurry, so I suspect that's the real answer.