When Commander Vancouver sailed this exact area for the Queen 224 years ago, his ship was accompanied by a 65-ton consort called the Chatham which carried a crew of 65. This "smaller" (ahem) ship would poke into bays and inlets looking for good routes with the crew noting hazards and gathering fresh water for the main ship when needed. Fast forward to 2016 and the good ship Quijote also has a 2nd boat - a humble dinghy that we have grown to appreciate.
The dinghy has no name yet, but she may get one before the journey is over for she is quite useful. She is there if we ever had to abandon ship to be sure, but is mainly used for getting back and forth to shore. It is a rare event for us to tie up to a dock. There are not very many docks here to begin with but even if there were they generally cost money to tie up to overnight. So when we anchor for the day, we turn to our dinghy if we want to get to shore for a hike. This handy little vessel is also great for exploring. "The dinghy is my best friend, it gives me so much freedom," is how Kay put it last night.
Our dinghy is an inflatable. Once we pumped it up on Day 2 with a foot pump, we have kept it in that state because it takes a bit of work and we want to be able to jump in it at a moment's notice. She is attached to the back of the Quijote and is there tagging along if we need her at any time. The dinghy can be powered by two oars or by a 4HP Yamaha motor that we lower onto the transom when needed using a pulley attached to a hoist bar.
(Written by Bob)
