I have been eyeing up this Puffin Pacer for a while. The BRSC has a couple which are used for sail training. It is a long while since I have been dinghy sailing and I am even less agile than usual at present. However there was a gentle breeze and I decided the time had come to give it a go.
Luckily Brodie (11 years old) came along to crew for me. All went well for a while. We tacked back and forth across the river getting round the bend out of sight of the clubhouse (and the rescue boat). The breeze increased from gentle to moderate and I tangled my foot in the main sheet as we tacked. Capsize. No problem for Brodie. He quickly had the boat upright and was back on board. He couldn't understand why I didn't join him but suggested that he sail the boat towards the bank. I doubt I could have got back on board even if a shark was nibbling my toes. He towed me astern and I was surprised at how fast we were going, fast enough to pull off my loose fitting trousers. I hoped that I would manage to keep my underpants on and not lose that last shred of dignity (I did).
At the bank I jumped aboard and off we sailed a second time but we hadn't gone far when we capsized again. I got the boat head to wind and Brodie got it upright and jumped aboard. Soon we were back at the bank. This time I decided that Brodie had well and truly earned the right to sail the boat back to the clubhouse which he did with great aplomb. I demoted myself to crew. Well done Brodie.
I will think very carefully before heading out in a dinghy again.
