How Many Dinghies Do We Need?

Yesterday, Indy was on a math-related treasure hunt.  She had to look around the boat and the yard, and find something we only had one of, two of, and on up to ten.  One: she chose herself.  One Indy.  Two boogie boards.  Three dinghies.

You might have noticed I'm not keen on having stuff.  It was a happy day in my world when we were able to go from owning two cars to just one. So how the Sam Hill did we end up with 1-2-3 dinghies?


First came the inflatable.  It is your standard hard-bottomed dinghy.  We've used it all of our three years aboard and it has served us well.  But we've found that a tinny will suit us better out here in the Pacific.  Soft Caribbean beaches are a distant memory - we need something that can take rocky coral pebbles.  So we're selling the inflatable.  (Do you want it?  I'll give you a good price.)

Delightful, but we're moving on.

Next came the sailing dinghy.  Erik has long coveted such a beast for toodling around with the kids, and to teach them how to sail.  (As it happens, teaching kids to sail a 57-foot boat is like asking them to eat sawdust.  Not.  Interested.  They need something responsive.)  So, Erik took advantage of my absence from the yard a good bargain and bought this little number.

Climb aboard, kiddos!  Sailing and capsizing await!

Well, okay.  I can see the logic.  Of course, I don't know where we are going to put it on deck, but I am going to pretend I don't have to think about that right now.

And then, the tinny.  Erik and I were perusing the aluminum dinghies on TradeMe (the NZ answer to ebay), and we saw a couple that looked pretty good.  The newer ones were alarmingly expensive (shock), but the older ones were reasonable, and goodness knows we don't care about a few dents and scratches.  We were looking at one that was nearby, and, before I knew it, Erik had bid.

I sat there slack-jawed for a few moments.  "Did you just bid on that dinghy?" I asked.  "Just like that?"
"Hmm," said Erik.  "I guess I did."
And we won it.  And now it is here.  With the other two dinghies.  Of course, this one is getting all gussied up.  Indy helped Erik install a new rub rail, in the hopes we won't bash our hull to pieces with this new purchase.  Erik put in pad eyes and chain to hang it on the davits.  And further improvements will come.

Rivet, rivet, rivet!

But wait!  There's more!  Because we don't just have three dinghies - we have three outboard motors now.

Bam!

Bam!

Ka-bam!

Because what every family needs is a 15 hp Yamaha, an 18 hp Tohatsu and a 4 hp Yamaha.  You know.  For the kids.

So the 15 horse Yamaha is on the block with the Apex dinghy (runs beautifully - yours for a song).  May they find a good home.  And can we please get through the rest of this cruising season without buying anything else.

Well, except for a new mizzen.  I'll bend that far.