in case the life raft doesn't work or it's lost or.... In most cases, that's your dinghy. So long as you have a quick way
of launching the Whaler in an emergency, that sounds like a good back-up plan. Depending on where you are if
that happens (offshore or near a harbor) taking to the dinghy may be the preferred way, anyway. At least with
a dinghy, you don't have to assume a passive attitude - which might be OK if well offshore but could be positively
lethal if near shore.

Jerry