Learning the hard way

We had another fine sail from Brighton to Rye, including trying out the genaker we have been loaned. It worked really well.

Cooking dinner was not so successful. Although the winds were light and behind us, the roll was too much for our ungimballed stove. The pie went down the back of the oven over the flames. I rescued it and everything was edible. In the cockpit, it was nice. Much calmer than down in the galley where the storm had been raging from the chef's mouth!

Lesson 1: never cook on an ungimballed stove in a following wind.

Closing on Rye Harbour the tide really pushed us forwards and we sailed on staysail only with the halyard slackened to slow us down.

Once at the SWM it took full throttle on the engine to fight back upwind and up-tide to the river and we got to the entrance exactly 2h before HW, the earliest recommended time. The flood was still running hard. The harbour master had asked us to meet him at the office and we turned round and fought back against the flow to the office. The only place to tie up was to the launch but it was easy to ferry-glide up to it, hold station and get lines on. I kept the engine in gear against the tide.

Then it all went wrong. The stern line got in a huge tangle. The bow line was not a return and we were tired. Alison tried to undo the bow line and the tide pulled the rope out of her hand and it got stuck on the bollard, catching her fingers and trapping them. The stern line caught too and we were stuck, unable to fight the tide as it tried to swing Robinetta down river while the rope crushed Alison's fingers.

Lesson 2: take enough time to sort the lines out and check each others work.

Lesson 3: Neither of us had a knife to hand, PTK is right. You need a sheath knife to hand.

Alison saw a fishing boat and hailed it. He pushed Robinetta back to the launch and Alison got the rope free of her fingers  and tied off again. The harbour master called an ambulance and helped me secure the stern again. Things settled down.

The ambulance came and stabilised Alison. She wanted me to stay with the boat and I knew that abandoning it would just make her more stressed.

The harbour master offered to lead me upstream to the mooring. The flood had stopped and it was really easy, but now pitch black.

Lesson 4: 2hrs before HW, if the tide is too strong, wait. Slack water is coming soon.

At Strand Quay the water was calm and moving lines and fenders over was not hard. But even better. Cine Mara was there and Rik was waiting to take our lines. I felt so relieved.

Lesson 5: Always have a Dutchman in front of you.

The Harbour team waited until I was tied up and then offered me a lift to the hospital in Hastings.

Alison is Ok. The fingers are bad, but will heal. But we won't be sailing together for a few weeks at least.