How to use a Dinghy - Episode 22 If you are about to sail or have just chartered a boat and are looking for tips on how to use a dinghy (aka inflatable, tender, rubber duck), then this episode covers some handy tips. If you want to remember just one thing from this episode, it is this: wear your kill cord. People die from not wearing their kill cord and falling out of the dinghy. This happened to a good friend of ours - a very experienced sailor - earlier this year in the BVI. One more thing; many countries have their own safety requirements which the driver and passengers should know. Please find out the relevant laws for your country (just google it), and then you know. We shot this episode at the Bora Bora Yacht Club in Tahiti in February, on a Lagoon 52 from Dream Yacht Charter. For this episode we break it up into the following segments: Intro: 0:41 Pre-start things to know 0:54 - two-stroke or four-stroke, oars, fuel level, deck vests, stay connected to the boat until the engine is purring. POST-PUBLISH NOTE: check the water is jetting out the pilot - this cools the engine, and if it gets blocked, can cause the engine to overheat. Sometimes it just requires engine off and a piece of wire up it to clear it out, but sometimes it's a bigger issue (like a busted impeller); Starting the dinghy 02:46 - pressurise fuel bulb, pull choke if required, minimal revs, check it's in neutral, wear the kill cord (repeat, **wear the kill cord**), be ready to put the painter (ie. the rope securing the dinghy) over the front of the dinghy so it is not streaming. Driving the dinghy 04:07 - tiller-steering, turn before you burn, weight the dinghy correctly so it leans away from the swell/wind, only plane if you are light enough to do so, bring revs back to 80% once you are on the plane Stopping the dinghy 06:35 - apply a bit of power in reverse if required to pull up your dinghy (make sure it is locked to the transom), note the angle of your tiller when in reverse, approaching a dock, apply a bit of forward against the dock to keep it there, alongside pickups from the boat. Securing the dinghy 09:19 - items for the dinghy: scoop, cable, anchor. Anchors are useful to keep dinghy off the dock when required. Know your knots - round turn two half hitches on the bite is the most common. Other elements 10:35 - watch your speed through mooring fields, use a light at night, bring a VHF or mobile phone if you need to communicate. Please thumbs up and subscribe! Thanks!! Thanks to Kyle Sykes (instagram: @kylesyks and https://vimeo.com/user14906522) for the shooting and edit, and Celine Freixe (instagram: @celine.fresh and http://celinefreixe.com/) for the titles and polish. ps. Sailing Virgins runs courses in Tahiti. They are amaaazing. If you'd like to know more, check out our courses page, or email irene@salingvirgins.com