Boating Bloomers (cont)

[garethrow]

Fear not Michael - you are not alone!

Regards

Gareth Rowlands

[Peter Taylor]

... and hey, guys (and gals), I STILL don't know whether anyone else talks to his/her boat. Is that an embarrassed silence I 'hear'?

Well I suppose I should confess! My most recent "bloomer" was on the 12th May.  I'd sailed to Hurst Point and come back in force 6 winds (as measured at Bramble Bank) initially under jib and mizzen and eventually jib only.  I was pretty tired by the time I came under Northam Bridge so, having got the mast back up, for once I left the boom with mainsail swinging unattached until I reached the jetty. 

Once the boom was back in place, I started tidying the reefing lines near the clew standing on the cockpit combing to do so.  The boom swung towards me and I overbalanced.  I was now hanging horizontally from the boom over the water with my feet on the toe-rail, trapeze dinghy style.  My weight was heeling Seatern towards me so there was no way the boom was ever going to swing back over the boat.  I had to give way to the inevitable, let go of the boom, fall into the water, and swim back to the jetty. 

I hoped anyone who saw me assumed I'd meant to go swimming wearing all my sailing gear.  And, fortunately,I forgot (honest!) to download imagery from the security camera which views the boat before it got over-written on the computer!

And yes I do indeed apologise to Seatern when I do something silly (hit a navigational mark, the jetty, or whatever) and I do always thank Dai (my outboard) for starting, and for working, and for letting me switch him off, etc. etc.; normally I go down on my knees for the latter occasions - I know who is boss! 

Peter