We hailed the yacht and contacted Dover Coast Guard. This was a Neap high tide, dropping off a Spring and going Neapier each day so the grounded yacht and owner had about 10 minutes to get off the mud or remain moored there for a few days dangerously exposed to any Northerly winds. There are very few abandoned stolen cars and dumped shopping trollies so you can sail around most of the mud flats on a high tide. We made a careful approach to the vessel from deep water, which in these parts ranges from a generous 5 metres to 1 metre below the keel. My crew wanted to leap into action and had to be restrained and reminded that their main task was not to take a short cut and put us aground as well. I remarked on this and seconds later a Pan Pan call burst into life from Dover Coast Guard reporting that the very same yacht was aground and had lost its rudder. Port Nav lights and steaming light on and in that very static pose that can only mean a yacht is either on a cradle ashore or has thumped the keel into the mud. Keeping a steady eye on the helm and the echo sounder I noticed a yacht apparently aground the wrong side of a Northerly cardinal. Perfect last day of the course.Īs dawn broke, we weaved our way around the tricky exit to ‘The Twizzle’. Then sails up and a wind with tide dash back to The River Orwell. As mugs of hot tea get swilled down, Harbour Seals invariably pop up around the boat and a passing Marsh Harrier is very likely at that time of day. Bacon wafting around the yacht, as the sun rises and the Area of Outstanding Beauty as our back drop. I wanted to motor the short distance to Hamford Water, drop an anchor and cook up a ‘Remaining Contents of the Fridge Breakfast’. The last morning of that course found us leaving Titchmarsh Marina at 6am, just before High Water in darkness. We had a fabulous week with two very good Day Skippers and two very competent, Competent Crew and some decent sailing weather for September. I thanked them all for coming and mentioned about the missing crew member the previous week. On the following course all four candidates turned up. We made arrangements to be in touch the following week and left it at that. He was very apologetic and explained that he had just bought a new boat and got carried away getting the yacht all prepared and had forgotten he was booked on a Day Skipper course with me. I decided to phone candidate four and was surprised when he informed me that he was in Southampton as the course was starting in Suffolk. Three of the four candidates were sitting comfortably in the cockpit with a cup of coffee doing the introductions whilst waiting for candidate four to arrive.
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