Neat idea. I wouldn't do it though without setting the kedge first or you
might find yourself chasing your boat, perhaps back into shallow water. If
someone reliable is on board, that may not be an issue. If there is someone
on board, have them winch on the kedge while you pull from the masthead with
the dinghy.

With all these ideas, there is either going to be a rising tide, in which
case you can just wait, or a falling tide. In Maine at least, it will be
hard to get anything rigged in time to prevent a falling tide from getting
you stuck fast. If you aren't off PDQ, you're going to be there a while.
I've set a kedge and gotten a boat off on a falling tide but everyone on
board said they never knew I could move so fast. They found it quite
amusing, especially as they didn't know we had touched (while docking in a
harbor) and couldn't figure out why I suddenly exploded into frantic and
unexplained activity.

--

Roger Long



"R.W. Behan" wrote in message
...
It is possible to free up a grounded sailboat with a small dink and a
small outboard. You tie the longest spare line you have to the main
halyard, and hoist it to the top of the mast. Then, with the bitter end
in the dink, you head for deep water 'til the line is taut--and then apply
full power. (This is most effective if you can pull at a right angle to
the boat's centerline.) The leverage on the boat is amazing, and you can
probably heel it, say, 30 degrees or more. That will diminish the
effective draft of the boat--hopefully enough to free it, so just keep
hauling until your boat is in deeper water. It depends on how hard the
boat is aground, of course, but I've freed my Westsail 32 with a 2hp.
outboard in a 9' dink. Fair winds, Courtney


"Courtney Thomas" wrote in message
...
For a 10 ton modified keel [cutaway forefoot] GRP sailboat, what is
suggested as a probable optimal size outboard for freeing up the
described vessel upon grounding ?

I realize all the power you can get may be a good thing, but given that
the dinghy is only about 8' long, what's realistically recommended ?

What brand ?

Appreciatively,
Courtney
--
s/v Mutiny
Rhodes Bounty II
lying Oriental, NC
WDB5619