Tiwal 2 review: Ed, from Salt Lake City – UT
My name is Ed. I live in Salt Lake City, Utah.
How long have you had your Tiwal?
I have a Tiwal 2 sailing dinghy which I ordered in March (2020). I ordered it because I had a cruise plan in the BVI.
Where do you sail?
In the reservoirs we have here in Salt Lake City. So we have some big mountain reservoirs, the winds are pretty gusty and you kind of be very strategic about when you go.
How do you use your Tiwal?
You know I probably sailed it about a dozen times, so I set it up and take it down each time. I probably go out about once a week and I just have it stored in the garage and then I just move it into a little storage shed.
How is it going so far?
I love it. I only learned to sail, really learned to sail about a year and a half ago.
So I’d only sail things 26, 34, 40 feet so sailing a dinghy was a new experience for me.
You know if you’re on a big sailboat, you let go of something it keeps doing what it’s supposed to do. Cruise on a little dinghy, it doesnt’ kind these crazy things.
But now I feel pretty confident, it does best probably in about 10 knots I find, at least for me. The first couple of times in big winds I flipped it a few times, it was pretty easy to get back up and get going again. So, I probably go out an hour of time. It’s a lot of fun, I get a lot of comments.
Every time I break it down I think it’s never gonna fit in these bags and it always fits in the bags, so you know. It’s a lot of stuff and people like come by and watch you setting up like “There’s no way this is gonna fit in those bags”, and I’m like “yeah it’s gonna fit in the bags!”. Yeah, it’s a lot of fun, for somebody who’s never sailed a dinghy before, really didn’t know what the heck they were doing, after three or four times I felt really confident and now, you know, it’s a stress free experience.
What’s your best memory with your Tiwal so far?
You know I’m a big skier, and skiing is all about finding that right balance between one thing and another. And there was one day when I was sailing it was about twelve knots and it was just, finding the right balance you know. And I now understand why people are do it all the time, cause I wanna find that same spot again.
Where would you dream to sail your Tiwal?
Well the first time I saw one, was when I was down on the British Virgin Islands, in October and we were moored next to this beautiful couple with beautiful little kids. They were on a cat. And for two nights out of seven we were moored right next to them and they just finished their cruise at the end of the day and the mom popped on with one of the little kids and cruised around the anchorage. And that’s what I’m looking forward to doing, is taking it down to the Carribean this coming March and sailing where it’s meant to be sailed.