Look Ma, No Hands

Vero Beach
No LL

It is only reasonable to expect that the longer one lives on a boat, the more tips and tricks one would learn. It's only natural. This trick though tickles my fancy because I did not expect it. I have learned to steer our dinghy with no hands. I can do it accurately and reliably.

It brings back memories of the time when I learned to steer my bicycle no hands. You remember -- "Look Ma, No Hands." I'm sure you have the same memory from your childhood.

Actually, the trick in the dinghy is the same as on your bike. I simply lean from one side to the other. Unlike a bike though, I lean right to make the boat turn left.

Why do that? When driving a dinghy with an outboard motor, you need to sit in the back to reach the motor's handle (tiller). That unbalances the boat. The bow sticks up in the air and the stern sinks. It's like doing a wheelie on a motorcycle.

To balance the boat, you need to move your body forward. Then you can't reach the tiller. People use all sorts of extensions to make the tiller handle longer but those have disadvantages. I'm proud to report that I learned how to do it with no hands at all.

p.s. I don't think my trick will work in an inflatable dinghy or one with a flat bottom.