If I capsize, will I be able to climb back on board alone?
Capsizing is feature of the practice of dinghy sailing. Although righting your boat after capsizing can be a difficult exercise on some dinghies, this isn’t the case with your Tiwal. True to our philosophy of designing boats that make sailing accessible, we have made sure that they remain easy to right by just one person, even those of small stature!
The proof is in the pictures: we’ve made videos showing how easy it is to right your Tiwal dinghy.
Righting a Tiwal3 sailing dinghy
Position yourself upwind of the overturned hull (ie. between the wind and the boat). Put your feet on the wings while holding onto the daggerboard with your shoulders well-back, in order to exert maximum righting moment. When the mast returns to the horizontal position, the maneuver slows down, because before you can lift the sail up out of the water, you’ve first got to wait for it to gently empty. A little patience and the boat will slowly come back upright.
All you have to do is climb back on board, always from the front of the hull, to keep the boat head to wind. Be careful: if you board from the stern, the dinghy could end up facing downwind, and therefore drag you along, with the risk of capsizing again.
Righting a Tiwal 2 sailing dinghy
It’s even easier on a Tiwal 2!
The captain kneels down on the windward wing and then stands, holding onto the daggerboard halfway up. As the hull of the Tiwal 2 dinghy is not so wide as the Tiwal 3, and the peak of the sail is shorter, the amount of effort required is significantly less.
Finally, be careful to apply your force on the hull and the wings rather than on the daggerboard, which should only serve to hold on to.
Righting techniques for smaller crew
These techniques work for a captain who weighs at least 110 lbs. Below this weight, it’s difficult to create a sufficient counterbalance, but rest assured, all is not lost! Rather than taking the daggerboard in hand, pass the painter up and over the wing, and thus move further away from the hull to exert a greater righting moment.