Is it just me or do other people find it difficult leaving their tenders. I currently have a mooring in Brooklyn and am looking at moving up to Lake Macquarie as it is all just too hard trying to leave my tender somewhere. I have made contact with every business on brooklyn road, however no one seems to want to help me.
This is my very first summer on the water and first time sailing - self taught so totally love it and I really enjoy sailing around Pittwater and love the area, hoping someone might be able to provide me with some advice.

Thank you that sounds like a good idea and perhaps my best option for now.

Thanks heaps maybe I should also look at a swing mooring at a Marina in Pittwater as another option.

MorningBird said..
Nearly all the mooring areas in Pittwater have dinghy racks. They cost but are convenient.

I find an inflatable not robust enough as a tender on the mooring, and inflating/deflating it might only take 15 minutes but that 15 minutes will give you the s...ts very quickly. Over time it will be the diference with 'yes I'll go to the boat' to 'I couldn't be bothered today".

I try to minimise all the things to be done to get on the boat and get it going. I see other people faff around for ages undoing neat tiddly little nknots on the lazy jacks, removing numerous covers or whatever. Minimise the time needed to go for a sail as much as possible, with adequate security.

+1

I used an inflatable even when I was working and living aboard , get a two stage 12 volt pump 5 mins and your done . I gave up after 3 months and got a 7 foot snub nose dinghy which fits in the van . Just found it easier especially in the rain . But I did it every day , for once or twice a week I would stick with the inflatable and a small outboard with integral fuel tank .

ChopesBro said..
I can suggest a two man kayak.

Easy to put on the vehicle.

Can be used for other fun things.

Just throwing my 2c in

I would like one with a option of a side pontoon to carry a bit more

I have an inflatable that I leave inflated and keep upright in the garage at home. It's light enough to pick up and put on the roof of the kombi on my own. It has a 2.5 Johnson, but I rarely use it because of the drag when towing it. They've installed a new rack at Careel Bay, and will soon remove all the other dinghys laying around. Trouble is, there is already a waiting list for the rack there.

We also have the luxury of using the Careel Bay marina tender on a day ticket if we want to. The only issue is they close at 5pm. So we usually use them more in the winter. In summer we cart the inflatable. If we're taking guests, I usually row out and bring the boat in to the new pontoon jetty (If I can get on with all the locals commuter boats tied up who seem to think it's their own private jetty - but that's another gripe for another time)

When we bought the boat, it took us over half an hour to get to the point where we'd drop the mooring. Pumping up the tender, rowing/motoring, removing bird netting, removing sail covers, hatches, outboard cover and a check of the minimal systems etc.

We're now down to an easy 10-15 minutes. 5 minute row out, no bird netting, it's only really required during nesting season, and I use a couple of strategically placed rubber snakes. We replaced the boom cover with a lazy stack bag, and we have a headsail furler. So all we need is a quick check, unzip the main cover, clip on the halyard, raise the main and start the motor. Run a quick check of the bilges, rig, sails, batteries and water and we're off. Pretty much the same when we come back in. Most of the work is done under motor while going through to the mooring, so when we get moored up, all we need to do is close the hatches, sea cocks and turn off the batteries/lights etc before closing the hatch.

MorningBird is so right when you want to go, you want to go. No sense faffing around with all kinds of stuff before you drop the mooring. If it's all too hard, you just won't go.

;-)

LMY said...
I really like fafling around, I may well be a faffing specialist. There is something comforting about packing up the boat and tying all those nknots that MB mentioned.

I really struggle when we have visitors on the boat and they try to help with the faffing, it is difficult not to offend and re do their faffing so the boat is properly pfaffed. The family were on the boat on Ozzi day and the daughter faffed around to nknot up up the owl. It is about 50 mm lower than I like. I did not want to offend about her pfaffing so left it alone. Now I may need to visit the boat this afternoon to re pfaff the useless owl juse as I like it.

Is there help available for people like me?

This is a perfect illustration of why sailing is a wonderful recreation for a wide range of different personalities.

Lmy ....you made me laugh

What I love about owning a sail boat is all the skill sets u learn.

Plumbing, sewing, painting, mechanical. ..the list goes on !


On topic.....Surely someone is enterprising enough too hire/ share tenders?

Having two or three shared tenders would work for double or triple that many yachts?

Win win for everyone

Maybe. ...or does everyone go out at the same time?