Daysailer

A good way to restore the fun nature of sailing is to sail a dinghy. This is one of my pet areas to promote. Small boats give immediate responses that if not heeded can result in a dunking or, preferably, a very wet seat. The dinghy experience can help hone your sailing skills, and I assure you there is nothing you will learn on a dinghy that will not translate directly to the skills required to sail your big boat more effortlessly. Cruisers in general, specifically those without any racing experience, can make cruising hard work and in the worst cases, quite dangerous. "Sure Bob, I always run my spinnaker foreguy under the lower lifeline." "Fine skipper. Just give me fair warning so I can duck below when you jibe!"

I just love this Dewitt dinghy. It has great lines, and that's understandable considering the combined sailing-artistic talents of designer Jim Dewitt. Jim's a fabulous painter in addition to being a world-class sailor. At one of the first Atlantic City Boat Shows I was working with the Valiant display. Jim Dewitt had an easel set up about 15 feet away where he was painting an America's Cup scene. It was fascinating to watch him work.

Despite its diminutive 8-foot, 6-inch LOA, I consider this to be far more than a water toy. This boat has some "serious" performance potential. Photos show the Dewitt planing with an adult on board. Now try that on your El Toro or your Optimist. The Dewitt will outsail these boats in any conditions. This dinghy also tows well and can take a small outboard motor, making it an excellent all-purpose tender. Two people are a load for this dink. A built-in dinghy bailer keeps the Dewitt dry in the worst conditions.

Apart from proving an excellent way for old salts to get their sailing kicks, this dinghy makes a superb children's trainer. Among other things, it has enough positive buoyancy to prevent it from swamping. This feature gives it an element of forgiveness sorely lacking in older dinghy designs. A capsized Dewitt rides very high in the water, making it extremely easy to right. The polyethylene Rototuff hull is certainly durable enough to stand the hardest use without requiring costly fiberglass repair.

The rig features a two-piece carbon mast and a zipper-luff mainsail that can be rolled around the mast for reefing. The battens are full-length and have camber inducers to help shape the mainsail. A very handy "halyard pocket" is sewn into the tack of the sail to hold the halyard when the sail is up. I've never seen this before.

You can buy the Dewitt in three different models, the difference primarily being in the sophistication of the sail handling gear. The three models are: Competition, Sport and Resort. The Resort and Sport models have fixed rudder blades while the Competition model has a fold up rudder. To date more than 70 of the Dewitts have been sold.

I can't think of anything much more fun than racing a Dewitt in a fleet of my cronies.