Tenders vs Dinghy - Pros and Cons
First lake Harriet. Because Lake Harriet only has mooring buoys, you have to choose how to get to and from your boat. The city maintains several aluminum tenders at the dock at the north end of the buoy-field. From here you can row to your boat, rig for sailing, and sail back to the dock to return the tender. You CAN NOT leave the tender at your buoy. When you are finished sailing, you have to reverse the process. This adds a lot of overhead to your sailing. Your alternative is to bring an inflatable dinghy with you to the lake, and launch it off the seawall close to your boat. While sailing, you leave the dinghy tied to your buoy. This has the advantage of not having to deal with the logistics of the city tenders, but getting in and out of the inflatable from the wall and your boat can be a bit of a challenge. How far away from the lake you live will determine if you can bring the dinghy to the lake inflated, or if you have to inflate it there. If you do chose to inflate the boat at t...