Dinghy cruising Solo Island Adventure

Dinghy cruising Adventure to Broughton Island sailing surfing and a capsize.

[@grantgoeman365]

Cool trip!

[@jimbo69244]

Nice trip. Thanks for taking us along Bruce.

[@brucedyson-smith459]

Thanks James

[@leepeterson8763]

Nice sail Bruce. Looks like a gorgeous location. Capsizing a DS is always nerve wracking. I capsized mine in '94 and it immediately turtled. Happily none since. I'm glad you were able to prevent a turtle, self-rescue and carry on. Great job of rigging your boat to take you on your adventures. I look forward to seeing your next video. Thank you.

[@brucedyson-smith459]

Thanks Lee, I thought it near impossible to capsize but it was a good wake-up call.

[@philgrizzlyadams]

Great trip Bruce, thanks for sharing. And you were STEAMING back in, nice boatspeed with a little surfing... Envious :-)

[@brucedyson-smith459]

Thanks Phil,yes it was a great trip back in.

[@coalfieldbeelovergerald3687]

That was quite a adventure with the first day knock-down n second day off to Broughton Islands ( not sure 🤔 I spelled correct ) .. Enjoyed your rough water sail the second day out n over night anchorage n sail back home. Been while (1970’s n 80’s ) since I open water sailed in a dinghy sized sailboat (swing keel Neptune 16’ ). I sailed a lot up n down Puget Sound. Winds can really tunnel out of the South up Puget Sound. So enjoyed the thrill of your journey out to the island n back. Nice share Bruce … Cheers 🥂 Papa J

[@brucedyson-smith459]

Thanks so much Papa j for the feedback and your story. It makes it all worthwhile to hear that you got so much out of the video. Cheers Bruce

[@memyselfandi9365]

I capsized a 15 ft boat with 3 kids on board and lost my wallet, new caméra etc...Since then I have a big waterproof bag tied to the mast..Fantastic down wind sail on the return journey..SMALL IS BEAUTIFULL !!

[@brucedyson-smith459]

Thank you and yes little boats are more fun.

[@markdalton3603]

Great video Bruce! Amazing location…

[@brucedyson-smith459]

Thanks Mark,yes an awesome spot alright.

[@sailoutofagarage6212]

I nice warm sail, looks nice despite the adventure in the begining.

[@brucedyson-smith459]

Yes the weather was good and water was warm.

[@fishmut]

If you got an esky on board for cold stuff , throwing in some bought cooked prawns , some for you and some for bait , fish like cooked prawns to , they are cheaper than buying prawns in bait and tackle shops . Lots of people use them on the marina at Nelson bay , bream and flathead etc other species to , happy fishing, lures I like to troll with , lazy fishing but sometimes you get a surprise catch. 👍

[@brucedyson-smith459]

Thanks for the tip although I would probably end up eating them myself

[@dougfairweather]

Great vid, mate... Looked like a great time had!

[@brucedyson-smith459]

Cheers Doug sure was!

[@Colonia.4711]

Seems you need another reefing point. A lot of sail cloth for those windy days....

[@brucedyson-smith459]

I am going to look at that when I get some new sails.

[@rolandorfortunato456]

That was one awesome video Bruce I'm glad you're ok after the capsize,does the O'Day daysailer have positive floatation, I see that you have a mariner outboard but I wasn't able to make out the HP. You have a very beautiful country with gorgeous natural scenery. Thank you for the video.

[@brucedyson-smith459]

Thank you Rolando. Yes the Daysailer has positive buoyancy so only fills up two thirds with water on capsize.Also my motor is a 3.3hp and a great little size for easy handling.

[@dangurney51]

Bruce, Thanks for the video. I’m looking at getting a Daysailer for cruising and was wondering what it would look like to capsize while cruising on a Daysailer. Did your mast hit the water, or were you able to climb on the centerboard as the boat was being knocked down? You mentioned that it happened slowly. Please tell more about where you sleep aboard. Is there enough room under the cuddy cabin for a six foot tall person to sleep comfortably?

[@brucedyson-smith459]

Hi Dan, yes the mast hit the water and my mast is fully sealed so it floats and stops the boat from going over any further. I am 6’2 tall and my feet protrude out about 1ft from the cuddy so I use a piece of plywood supported on my life vest to hold it up level while one end rests on the platform.As you can see in the video where I have emptied out the boat I have a large tanked platform built into my boat which is different from most Daysailers.

[@afloatinawoodenboat]

Glad you’re ok!

[@brucedyson-smith459]

Thanks guys,it was good experience to keep me on my toes.

[@matthewmcdermit8744]

I liked hearing about the steps that you took to get your outboard back in working order. Were you able to dry out your VHF, or is it shot? What caused the capsize: a gust or overfall or imbalanced crew weight?

[@brucedyson-smith459]

Thanks Matthew,my radio is dead and the capsize was caused by a sudden gust that hit me as I was near a mountain.

[@matthewmcdermit8744]

@The Wayfinder , ah, a katabatic wind -- a.k.a. a fall wind. I don't have much experience with them, but I read that they can be quite dense and fast moving. After some people have dropped their smart phones in the water, I have heard of people placing the device in a bag of uncooked rice. The rice draws the moisture out of the device. That might be worth a try.

[@brucedyson-smith459]

Yes I think that was it but unfortunately for my radio it was a couple of days before I even flushed it with fresh water so it has started to corrode already.

[@NY-hp7il]

Hello Bruce. I am restoring a daysailor DS and , of course, I am intrigued by your capsizing adventure. The lesson s here are many, but the detail about the unsinkable mast was , it seems, your savior. Do I have that right ? Thanks for sharing and keeping us young.

[@brucedyson-smith459]

Thank you for the question.Yes the sealed mast stops the boat from inverting which would make it nearly impossible to right single handed. I did a previous capsize test in controlled conditions to see if I could self save the boat before venturing offshore.It has proven to be quite an achievable process and much easier than I had expected although having 92 kg body weight does help. Regards Bruce

[@olivei2484]

Sorry to hear of the capsize, didnt phase you much it seems. Do you play the main sheet when its gusty? Hard to play the vang by your self.

[@brucedyson-smith459]

I do usually have the main sheet in my hand but this gust came down off the mountain and caught me a little off guard.

[@olivei2484]

@@brucedyson-smith459 Had that happen, lost a batten and my wind vane. Was able to dump sail though ( luckily).

[@russthomas3375]

Great videos and hope you keep them going! I sail a DS in open water like conditions on Lake Michigan and we get gusts off the big bluffs. Was your mainsheet cleated when you took the knockdown? You said you usually don’t but I couldn’t tell from your earlier reply. Thanks!

[@brucedyson-smith459]

@@russthomas3375 Thanks Russ,yes my main sheet was cleated off and when I got to ease it was too late as you know with a DS they are low sided. Cheers Bruce

[@warjacare]

DS is a potentially dangerous boat: too large sail area, little buoyancy, almost impossible to put it up after capsizing by one man.

[@brucedyson-smith459]

My boat has extra buoyancy forward and a sealed mast . I Carried out a capsize test and recovery before venturing offshore. I have now capsized and self recovered 3 times so am confident in self rescue. I also have a very deep reef in my mainsail and a pull down line on my jib to drop it from the cockpit.Thank you for the comment. Cheers Bruce

[@warjacare]

@@brucedyson-smith459 That's exactly what I did on my boat. Smooth sailing.