Practical Boat Owner - January 2016

Learning from experience

ABOUT THE AUTHORDavid Savile Platt races his Cornish Shrimper from

Parkstone Yacht Club. A qualificompeted in the 1989 Fastnet race; a ed Yachtmaster, he personal milestone.

A

pproaching my mooring immediately after racing my Cornish Shrimper Endeavour recently, I

without the aid of the boat hook. Mainsail up, outboard running, gently into the attempted to pick up the white mooring buoy

wind alongside the open launch I had left on the mooring. I lay on the side and reached for it between the two vessels. Just one more stretch to reach it, I thought –

but then I slid inexorably off the side and into the water between the two boats.I flAt least I had my buoyancy aid on, so oated nicely. It was a balmy evening,

the wind was very light and my crew, Sue, was on board; so it appeared there was little to worry about. However, slowly but surely the two vessels parted company –

my class captain told me after the event that I should have tied on to the launch fimooring warp, but I didn’t – so now Sue rst before attempting to pick up the

was drifting slowly towards the rocks on Endeavour clinging to the 20ft launch. I managed to reach over the gunwale and while I remained in the water,

grabbed a port-side warp on the launch, then made a bowline in it for my foot – which wasn’t easy as I was up to my eyes in water and trying to keep my head up.

However, it was still too low to enable me to climb aboard. I tried again, making one more bowline higher up the warp, and this time I almost made it – but not quite.

Try the stern. Use the rudder. No go. By

his Laser, then with some llowed me to slither onto for that. A kind young man came over: thank heavens

and clambered/slid/fell into the cockpit of my boat, now just 6ft away from the alongside my Shrimper. I thanked him diffi culty managed to take me

rocks. By this time I was absolutely exhausted, wet through and in a pretty ratty frame of mind!

Start as you mean to go onThe outboard started fimotored to the launch, tied up, retrieved the warp, lowered the mainsail, turned the rst time, so I gently

outboard off and packed up the boat. We took the pilot launch back to the club, and I praised Sue for managing to keep the boat away from the rocks with the

mainsail alone. In addition, I promised to

now I was very tired and could do nothing but hang on: and meanwhile, Sue and Endeavour kept drifting ever

closer to the rocks. the launch. Just put the outboard in gear.’ I shouted to Sue: ‘Come back alongside ‘Where is the gear lever?’ she

shouted back. I replied. She couldn’t operate the outboard, so she gave it some choke and ‘The little black lever on the side,’

it stopped: and then it wouldn’t start again with the choke full on. ‘Use the VHF to call for a RIB,’ I shouted. ‘I don’t know how to use the VHF!’

launch to be more visible, waving my arms and calling ‘Man overboard!’ to some Lasers returning to the club from At this juncture, I swam away from the

their evening racing. Two saw me and

David Savile Platt warns against trying to

retrieve a mooring buoy without a boat hook:

the consequences can range from

damp to disastrous

your real-life experience Send us

your boat!*painting of – and win a

Warp factor nil