Reversing Entropyvideo
How NOT TO Tow Sailboat in EMERGENCY (Tow Like a Pro with your dinghy)
12 October 2025 · 8 min · 131K views
What this video covers
Emergency dinghy towing of a sailboat requires technique — the wrong method leaves the operator with no directional control. The crew of the 1980s ketch featured on Reversing Entropy discovered this firsthand when a line fouled their propeller while leaving an anchorage, leaving them drifting toward other boats and a beach in current, with no time to drop a secondary anchor safely.0:36
Three towing methods are demonstrated. First, towing from the stern of the dinghy with the dinghy engine in forward fails completely: the dinghy pivots sideways under load and the operator cannot steer.3:58 Second, towing in reverse — with the towline attached to the dinghy's bow and the engine running astern — restores directional control and works for short-distance moves of a few meters in any direction.5:28 Third, for longer distances, lashing the dinghy alongside the sailboat lets the dinghy engine provide thrust while the sailboat's own rudder handles steering; one person can manage this solo by locking the throttle and going forward to steer.1:58 The alongside method takes longer to rig but is the most controllable over distance. Towing in reverse from the dinghy bow is the fastest emergency fix when the boat must be moved immediately.
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