I didn’t start a post on the purchase of our dinghy. If I did, this post would have begun on July 3, 2021, and been published on October 13, 2021. Just over three months from dealer order to delivery.
While we are slowly learning that island time applies to all areas of the nautical world, this purchase took extra long due to the supply chain delays from the pandemic. It’s stunningly slow. Mark and I have a terrible history of working where customer service and timeliness are measured and reported on weekly. We are trying to change our own expectations–a frustrating process.
We landed on an Achilles HB-314LX 10.4 Hypalon RIB with a bow locker. She’s named Trixie because, in the Speed Racer cartoon, Trixie is Mach 5’s girlfriend. Trixie the character acts as Mach 5’s spotter during races, up in a helicopter. Trixie the dinghy will zip us around anchorages and even spot coral bombies one day!
We opted for the 20hp Tohatsu engine since 15hp is standard for this RIB. But the 15hp and 20hp weigh the same. Mark likes to go fast and plane! We which’ve done and is fun!
My favorite thing about Trixie is that we’re able to explore shallower areas of the Delta that Mach 5 can’t go. We went a few nautical miles (nm) up Calaveras River which was a total Huckleberry Finn experience.
While Mark just sees vegetation, I’m can’t stop scanning for the veg for gators. Once a Florida girl, always a Florida girl.
Getting Trixie (and me learning to drive an outboard) is a BIG step forward towards our cruising life.