Swept Along…17/08/2013

Swept Along…17/08/2013 It wasn’t even my suggestion. In fact I had nothing to do with it. It was kind of forced upon me. It doesn’t involve fishing so don’t bother to read if you’re not interested in a bit of sailing and paddling en-route to the rest of the day! Our friends are also back from holiday. As a bit of a birthday party they invited us along to their mooring up the dyke from Oulton Broad for the day, the plan being to do nothing but sit on our arses, eat, drink and relax. First though, we had to get there and with Jonas wanting to take Eloise sailing on his dinghy it was my job to be Mr Lifeboat! Mind you, Silke decided she was paddling too and had dusted off her Atlantic. Paddling. Nope. I was sailing. I dragged my PA sail out for the first time in ages, strapped it on and followed the kids who were now scooting up the broad at around twice the speed of a thousand gazelles in Jonas’ Pico. we would have tried to keep up but we couldn’t really be bothered, they’d be fine anyway, maybe get a bit wet if they flipped over. But they didn’t and we clambered out at the mooring, put our feet up and burnt some wood. ----------------- So, time to go back a few hours later and with wind a few knots faster; Abigail’s turn to accompany Jonas now and again we’re following along. Silke heads off and I follow with the sail up; mostly it’s slow but when the gusts arrive I pick up speed rapidly and shoot down the broad and a good rate of knots. It’s during one of these sprints that I see that they’ve capsized. Best I head over for a look then. They’re fine, both in the water and both enjoying it and quite excited. It’s fun according to my waterproof daughter. She’s sent around the one side and clings onto the gunwhale, Jonas goes the other and the next thing I know is the dinghy is being righted and Abigail is pulled from the water into a wet heap upon the deck. Nicely done. They set off back to the slip but Jonas decides to demonstrate a dry capsize, dropping Abigail off on a pontoon. The capsize itself goes fine but he ends up in the water and the wind has picked up again; I pick up my daughter and we go to assist. She is sitting with her back against mine in the tankwell of my Scupper and it’s somewhat unsteady…she asks to be dropped off by the dinghy and goes in. Their weight isn’t enough to right it against this wind and they can’t turn it the other way – I get it round from the yak but it just blows back again. We’re kind of stuck. I put my weight on the daggerboard and still no joy. I take their picture. I go to the stern and grab hold to try and turn it again; but there feels like some give and where it wasn’t going anywhere with me grabbing the daggerboard, in the centre of the hull, it’s fine from the stern and I right the boat. They clamber on, still smiling, sort things out and head back but there’s a hell of a wind now. Abigail’s been fine with the capsizing and swimming but the fast changes and swinging booms of the tacking unnerved her and she wanted off; I obliged, paddled her back to the slip and sailed back to assist if needed. Jonas was doing fine. I went back to the ramp to pass on messages and take then back and sailed back again; I intercepted Silke, Jonas was struggling too much and made landfall instead. I backed and forthed some more and then we made the decision that I’d take him under tow to the eastern end of the broad and we’d lift the Pico out there. Anchor trolley unclipped and sent backwards to the painter and we have 30ft of separation. I throw the PA sail aloft (the dinghy’s sails are furled) and away we go. All rather splendid fun! It didn’t take long, ten minutes maybe. I finished off paddling the last bit, sent him wide as I turned sharply to port, landed, pulled the kayak out and pulled the Pico up to the slipway.