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Hot Showers & Dinghy Hacks - Boat Life in France | DrakeParagon Sailing
August 31, 2025 · 25 min · 3K views · France
What this video covers
To shower without shore power, the crew of the 40-ft sailboat Paragon uses a pressurized pump-up garden sprayer.▶ 1:11 They fill the container with a mixture of boiling water from a kettle and cold water, monitoring the volume via the sprayer's integrated level gauge.▶ 1:51 A shower pan rigged with a float-switched sump pump drains the water into the sink basin and overboard.▶ 2:58 For dinghy operations in the strong currents of the Gulf of Du Marrahan, the crew uses a halyard-assisted launch method.▶ 11:52 They secure the dinghy’s painter to the boat’s bow, attach a halyard to the dinghy’s stern, and lower it over the side while keeping the vessel under control in the current.▶ 10:54 The crew also removes the Hydrovane rudder when at anchor to prevent marine growth.▶ 13:40 During a shore excursion in France, they note a 16-foot tidal range, which necessitates careful timing for dinghy landings to avoid being stranded on the hard as the tide recedes.▶ 16:19
Boats in this video
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