Up the creek without an engine

This adventure began on a Wednesday afternoon last year, October 2020. After a long period of rain a rare sunny day with only a few clouds was a pleasant change. Combined with a favourable tide in the afternoon I decided to break the long spell of not having sailed Flotaxe and go for it.

Through my previous lengthy observations of the tides including the calibrations and markings on some of the steel posts that hold the pontoons in place in the Maylandsea marina (they show the height of the tide above LAT) I know I can leave from my berth when the tide has reached 3.85m which is about 3 hours before high water. Similarly, I need to get back in about 2½ hours after high water (so around 1900 on today’s sail).

While still on the mooring I hanked the high aspect jib onto the forestay, but in the process, the sail flicked my right ear and off went my hearing aid – straight into the water which was now 4m deep. No point going after it.

I only needed a small burst of my Yanmar 1GM10, which started promptly, to get out and into Lawling Creek. I was alone and decided to have a quiet, relaxing sail with only the mainsail up.

If time allows, my preference is to go around