Global phenomenon

The Dinghy Cruising Association may be 70 years old-but it's never been so on trend, reports Laura Hodgetts

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Long considered 'a bit bizarre' for sailing small boats into creeks and estuaries for adventurous nights of wild camping on board, the Dinghy Cruising Association (DCA) members now find their sport 'increasingly fashionable'.

As the association celebrates its 70th anniversary year, membership numbers have tripled to over 1,500 and branches are holding rallies in nine countries, including Ireland, Poland, France, the USA, Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden.

The association's Facebook group has 21,000 followers and DCA president Roger Barnes' small-boat cruising videos on YouTube have had millions of views.

"It has taken us all by surprise that people now think it's really interesting, instead of being weird people who sail in dinghies when they should have proper yachts. It's like the world has caught up with us," said Roger.

"We used to be a marginal outfit that nobody knew about, suddenly we've got really quite well known. Now a lot of people are saying that dinghy cruising is the future of sailing rather than all these big white yachts that just live in marinas all the time.

"It's very much the same as taking a lightweight tent up a mountain, and spending a night there. It's something that has always been done.

"You don't need to take all the trappings of civilisation to go out to wild places. The experience is far more powerful with just a small amount of kit. That is what dinghy cruising is all about, to experience the natural world without distraction."

Travelling light

Roger added: “Obviously we're not living like savages. We are using modern outdoor camping gear. But you do not need to take all the comforts of home with you into the wilderness. And camping afloat using a small and light boat allows you to really experience remote places on lakes, rivers or coastal waters. With yachts, invariably, you end up going from marina berth to marina berth.”