SUNBEAM is anchored in a bay. Two cadets row the dinghy ashore for a walk, leaving it pulled up on the beach. Later, someone notices the dinghy has drifted off and is floating away on its own. What is the first thing to check?

A. Assume it has sunk and stop worrying about it immediately

B. Wait several hours before checking on it again, since it is "just" a dinghy

C. Check that no one is in or near the dinghy and that it is genuinely empty and adrift, not just out of sight behind something — then keep watching its position closely so it is not lost track of completely

D. Swim out after it immediately without telling anyone else what you are doing

A. Only large boats need to think about tide when leaving them unattended

B. Tides never affect a dinghy that has been pulled up onto a beach

C. This kind of thing cannot be prevented and is simply bad luck every time

D. A rising tide can lift and float away a dinghy that seemed safely beached only a short time before — dinghies should always be tied to something secure on shore, or pulled up well above the expected high water line, not just left resting on the sand

A. Ignore it completely and let it drift wherever it wants to go

B. Wait for it to wash back ashore naturally with no action taken

C. If SUNBEAM's main engine or another small boat is available, motor over carefully and recover the dinghy by towing it back or lifting it; keep watching it constantly while preparing to go, since it could drift behind a headland or other boats and become hard to find again

D. Throw something heavy at it from a distance to try and sink it deliberately