Canadian Boating June 2024 - 11

Sailboats and power boats from Lagoon City Yacht Club begin rafting up together in ideal conditions. Due to the weight of the final raft, two anchors
have been put out here but conditions are calm and we'll be un-rafting in a few hours.
dinghy however and wherever you can, to
one of the other dinghies in the group and
then drift around together. Food and drink
are usually involved. Dinghies on the outside
of the raft use their outboard motors
from time to time to keep the raft away
from the shoreline or other obstacles and
to keep the raft in sheltered waters. It's
great silly fun.
But rafting isn't only for socializing.
Learning to safely raft to another boat
can be a valuable boat-handling skill.
We have rafted our 49-foot sailboat to a
smaller boat experiencing engine trouble
so we could help the crew solve the problem
when they found themselves drifting
in open water. We have also rafted our
dinghy to our own boat when we've had
engine trouble ourselves and used the
inflatable and its outboard to guide the
boat safely to a dock.
When cruising in Martinique in the
Caribbean a few years ago, we rode out
a tropical storm by anchoring and tying
into the mangroves. Boats around us that
hadn't anchored properly were dragging
through the anchorage risking damage
to themselves and other boats. In several
cases, we saw fellow sailors raft the drifting
boats to their own securely anchored
yachts to prevent disaster to the boat
dragging by them and to help the crew
members aboard. (We documented this on
video in " Tying Your Boat in a Mangrove
During a Hurricane " on the Distant Shores
YouTube Channel at bit.ly/4aRx3y7 ).
When transiting the Panama Canal
aboard our Southerly 480, Distant Shores
III, it was required that three sailboats be
rafted together and positioned behind a
large ship in the locks. The raft was controlled
by the engine of the boat in the
middle, which was our boat, plus long
lines managed by shoremen on the edge
of the canal to guide the raft. In this case,
rafting-up was a technique used for getting
small sailboats safely and efficiently
through the enormous locks of the Panama
Canal System. (See our " Transiting the
Panama Canal System on a Sailboat "
video series on the Distant Shores
YouTube Channel at bit.ly/3Q0YE7S ).
SCAN HERE TO CHECK OUT
DISTANT SHORES
YOUTUBE CHANNEL!
during
Rafting is also used in small harbours
high
season when there
isn't
enough dock space for the number of visiting
boats. We find this is more common
in Europe where, in many cases when you
call or radio ahead to check in, you are
told which boat to raft to, ensuring that
boats of similar size are rafted together.
People there expect you to tie
CANADIANBOATING.CA
11

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Canadian Boating June 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Boating June 2024

At The Helm: Cast off for Summer 2024!
Feature Editorial: Raft-Up!
Sail Review: Jeanneau Yachts 55
Power Review: Bayliner Trophy 29 EX
Boating Lifestyle: Rediscovering my Boating Backyard
Special Feature: Paving the way to Cleaner Boating
The Port Hole: June 2024
Resource Guide: Your Onboard Emergency Toolkit
Crossing the Line: Please hold my calls (I'll get back to you in November)
Canadian Boating June 2024 - Intro
Canadian Boating June 2024 - Cover1
Canadian Boating June 2024 - Cover2
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 3
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 4
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 5
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 6
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 7
Canadian Boating June 2024 - At The Helm: Cast off for Summer 2024!
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 9
Canadian Boating June 2024 - Feature Editorial: Raft-Up!
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 11
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 12
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 13
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 14
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 15
Canadian Boating June 2024 - Sail Review: Jeanneau Yachts 55
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 17
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 18
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 19
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 20
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 21
Canadian Boating June 2024 - Power Review: Bayliner Trophy 29 EX
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 23
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 24
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 25
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 26
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 27
Canadian Boating June 2024 - Boating Lifestyle: Rediscovering my Boating Backyard
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 29
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 30
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 31
Canadian Boating June 2024 - Special Feature: Paving the way to Cleaner Boating
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 33
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 34
Canadian Boating June 2024 - The Port Hole: June 2024
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 36
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 37
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 38
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 39
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 40
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 41
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 42
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 43
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 44
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 45
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 46
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 47
Canadian Boating June 2024 - Resource Guide: Your Onboard Emergency Toolkit
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 49
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 50
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 51
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 52
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 53
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 54
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 55
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 56
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 57
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 58
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 59
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 60
Canadian Boating June 2024 - 61
Canadian Boating June 2024 - Crossing the Line: Please hold my calls (I'll get back to you in November)
Canadian Boating June 2024 - Cover3
Canadian Boating June 2024 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/kerrwil/canadianyachting/canadian-boating-january-2025
https://www.nxtbook.com/kerrwil/canadianyachting/canadian-boating-december-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/kerrwil/canadianyachting/canadian-boating-october-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/kerrwil/canadianyachting/canadian-boating-june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/kerrwil/canadianyachting/canadian-boating-may-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/kerrwil/canadianyachting/canadian-boating-april-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/kerrwil/canadianyachting/canadian-boating-february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/kerrwil/canadianyachting/canadian-boating-december-2023
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