The
Dinghy
Cruising
Association

Articles

What is a dinghy?
Former DCA President Peter Bick makes a gentle dig at those members who sail something slightly bigger!

Sleeping Aboard
DCA member 0002 John Deacon describes the joys of sleeping on a 14'dinghy and John Reeve gives good advice on boat camping techniques

A Steel Centreplate for Jacona!
Ken Dickinson writes about the installation of a heavy steel centreplate in his Wanderer dinghy.

The Crabclaw Rig
Bernie Stocks writes in appreciation of the Crabclaw Rig!

The Not so Secret Diary of Edward Jones -
aged 65 and three quarters!
Ted Jones describes a cruise around the Thames Estuary

A Farne Islands Pilot
Ed Wingfield shares his knowledge of these magical islands off Lindisfarne on the NE coast of the UK. Not a cruising region for the faint hearted but well worth the effort.

A Lindisfarne (Holy Island) Pilot
More gen from Ed Wingfield on this beautiful stretch of England's North Eastern Coast.

Dinghy Cruising Check list
People leave home and trail miles to their crusing ground, only to find that they've left a vital piece of equipment back at base. I've often forgotten the sail battens, and the binoculars but I read of someone who left the rudder behind. Make a checklist! Here's a basic check list which you can modify according to your own needs.

Which Dinghy?
... find the 'right' cruising dinghy?

Roger's Reefing Refinement.

....an elegant refinement to the slab reefing system, as applied by DCA president Roger 'Bailer' Barnes.

Huntingford's Helm Impeder

Published by popular demand, here is a simple and cheap way of contolling the helm while you pour a drink, have pee, harpoon a whale....

South Coast Region Newsletter Archive
Liz Baker keeps the South Coast members informed with a regular newsletter. The originals are very nicely presented with appropriate graphics etc. This presentation is echoed in the web version, but preserved in its entirety on the pdf download versions.

Dinghy Cruising Checklist

People leave home and trail miles to their cruising ground, only to find that they've left a vital piece of equipment back at base. I've often forgotten the sail battens, and the binoculars but I read of someone who left the rudder behind. Make a checklist! Here's a basic check list which you can modify according to your own needs.

Address Book & Telephone Numbers
Alarm Clock
Anchor,Chain and warps
Bedding,bags,mats,pillows
Binoculars
Boat Sponges
Boom
Boom crutch
Bosun's Box
Buckets with Lids
Bungs(spare)
Camera and Film
Centreboard bolt, nuts, washers
Centreboard(spare)
Charts, OS Maps
Clothes, clothes pegs
Club Burgees
Compasses
Cooker and Fuel
Cutlery
Fenders and boat rollers
Firefighting Equipment
First Aid kit
Flares (white - red)
Fog Horn & Whistle
Food
Forestay (spare)
Frypan
Gooseneek (spare)
GPS
Greasegun and grease
Hatch covers
Insurance papers
Kettle
Kicking Strap
Knives (boat)
Lamp (battery)
Lantern, paraffin and meths + mantles and starter
Licences
Lifejackets
Logbook, pencil, pen
Long warps
Mainsheet and blocks
Mast and wind indicator
Mast pivot pin(spare)
Matches/lighters
Mobile phone (preferably switched off)
Money,credit cards
Mooring ropes
Nautical almanac
Navigation gear
O/B spares,shear & prop pins, oil, spark plug, spanner
Oars
Oilies
Outboard and safety strop
Outboard fuel, funnel, 2-stroke oil
Paddles
Plates,bowls mugs
Pump/bucket/bailer
Radio & spare batteries
Rowlocks
Rudder
Rudder blade (spare)
Sail Battens
Sailhead Buoyancy
Sails and sheets
Saucepan, steamer
Sponge & soap (personal)
Tea towels
Tent and Tent supports
Tide Tables
Tiller
Tin opener, bottle opener, corkscrew, pump
Toilet Bag toilet paper
Torch (for illuminating sail)
Towels (hand and bath)
Trailer Bearing
Trailer spare wheel
Vaseline
Water carriers
Wellington Boots
Winch