Please select your home edition
Edition
Switch One Design

How and why I dinghy cruise in tiny boats with kids and dogs

by Holly Puckering 16 Mar 2022 02:48 PDT
Holly Puckering is the vlogger behind 'Kids Afloat In A Wooden Boat' © Puckering family

One of the great life skills that sailing teaches you is innovation in the face of a challenge. That is perhaps the best way to describe how I came to pursue dinghy cruising as a sport - as it is indeed a solution to a number of challenges that emerged for our little family a few years ago.

Living in the beautiful island of Tasmania, Australia, we are lucky enough to have access to both coastal and inland waters, stunning scenery and plenty of world heritage quality destinations that can only be accessed by water.

But what do you do if you can't manage a large yacht by yourself with kids in tow, you are short on time and money, and have children disengaged with the the typical club entry point to sailing as a competitive sport?

Well - you find bravery in your heart, buy a dusty old Mirror dinghy, fix it up and take to the waters as a mini-cruising family!

As a mother I have faced many common barriers to getting my kids into sailing. Even more so as a woman myself. I have found that dinghies are a great leveller in sailing. Perhaps they are small enough to go unnoticed. Perhaps they are cruising and therefore not deemed as a racing threat.

Maybe it's a comical thing to see a middle-aged woman pile two kids and two terriers into a brightly coloured Mirror dinghy with a kayak in tow. Or perhaps it is because I am accompanying my sons and giving it a go, but much of the bias that one can encounter with a larger yacht seems not to apply when you are cruising a tiny little boat.

Even so, dinghy cruising is a wonderful way to level the playing field. It is a gateway for anyone who is interested in sailing for health, peace and freedom - whatever your age, experience or budget. I hope to see many more women and children join the growing community of dinghy cruisers around the globe.

Have a look at other videos from the 'Kids Afloat In A Wooden Boat' channel on Youtube

Related Articles

A more sustainable Transat Café L'OR edition
The race aims to be innovative and a driving force for the transitions taking place in ocean racing For the upcoming 17th edition, the TRANSAT CAFÉ L'OR Le Havre Normandie is stepping up its commitments to take better care of the earth's climate and the natural, living planet. Posted today at 10:28 am
Engedinwing 2025 WingFoil Racing World Cup preview
The world's most daring wingfoilers are heading for the heights... literally The world's most daring wingfoilers are heading for the heights - literally - as the Ensis ENGEDINWING 2025 WingFoil Racing World Cup Switzerland descends on lake Silvaplana. Posted today at 9:19 am
Diverse maxi fleet ready for Loro Piana Giraglia
Inshore/coastal racing prior to the event's famous offshore race to Genoa The International Maxi Association's 2025 Mediterranean Maxi Inshore Challenge (MMIC) continues tomorrow, Saturday 7 June with the first of four days of inshore/coastal race of Loro Piana Giraglia, organised by the Yacht Club Italiano Posted today at 9:04 am
Marine Auctions: June online auctions
Bidding to open on Friday 20th June The Bidding for the June Online Auction will commence on Thursday 20th June and will end on Thursday 26th June at 2pm AEST. Posted today at 5:19 am
2025 Santa Maria Cup in Annapolis, USA Day 3
Nicole Breault and Allie Blecher to meet in the final USA's Nicole Breault / Vela Racing and Allie Blecher / Team Baam have both advanced to the final of the Santa Maria Cup in Annapolis, the second stage of the 2025 Women's World Match Racing Tour championship. Posted today at 4:48 am
Scandinavian Gold Cup at Sopot, Poland Day 2
Three boats are now through to the final stage Three boats are now through to the final stage of the Scandinavian Gold Cup in Sopot, Poland. Aspire, Marie-Françoise XXII and Artemis (NOR 57, Kristian Nergaard, Johan Barne Trond, Solli-Sæther) have each won one race each. Posted today at 1:48 am
49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 Europeans Day 4
Bergmann with Wille keep their nerve to move into FX lead Olympic veterans in the 49erFX Marla Bergmann with Hanna Wille (GER) kept their nerve and used their speed to move into the lead, scoring the fewest points on day 4. Posted on 6 Jun
Windies Multihull Trophy winners announced
Thirty multihulls competed across eighteen events from Barbados to the British Virgin Islands. With the conclusion of the 2025 season, the Caribbean Sailing Association's Budget Marine Windies Multihull Trophy results are in! Posted on 6 Jun
Galicia 52 Super Series Royal Cup Day 4
Hutchinson adding the missing element as American Magic Quantum Racing close in on title Now holding a 13-points lead after today's two races contested at the Galicia 52 Super Series Royal Cup, American Magic Quantum Racing crew are on the cusp of completing their first 52 SUPER SERIES regatta win since victory in Barcelona in September 2022. Posted on 6 Jun
Emirates GBR looking to bounce back
At the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix this weekend Emirates GBR Driver Dylan Fletcher said the team was "looking to bounce back" at the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix this weekend, following a "tough time" at the back-to-back US events in LA and San Francisco in March. Posted on 6 Jun
Rooster 2025Lloyd Stevenson - Catalyst GT 1456x180px BOTTOMZhik 2024 December