w.atching the w.orld unw.ind

Briefly saw some footage of ocean-going yacht racing yesterday. It reminded me of the last time I went sailing...

A director of a company I used to work for, traded payment of his mooring fees for use of the yacht whenever he wasn't using it. And as she was berthed on the Hamble, one of the most desired (and therefore expensive) marinas in the world, you can imagine how good a deal that was!

Anyway, we found a suitable, free weekend and an experienced skipper and took her over to the Isle of Wight.

Me and another guy were bunked in the cable hold (where the anchor warp is kept) and were woken up in the dark by a deafening, clanking noise.

Staggering up on deck, and joined by the rest of the crew, we discovered that we'd slipped our moorings and were dragging our anchor across the sea bed. In the pitch black. In the middle of the main channel in the Solent. With no navigation lights on. With an engine that refused to start for a good twenty minutes. Vary Scary.

You know the expression "swinging the lead"? Well, that's what I had to do, to make sure we didn't run aground as we limped our way back to harbour.

So maybe ocean-going stuff is not for me..