One bitterly cold Spring morning Norman asked Tony and me to help him sail his newly acquired 16’ Bermudan rigged dinghy from Heybridge Canal, where he had been fitting out, to Maldon, a distance of about 1½ miles. We leapt at the chance, making up in enthusiasm what we lacked in experience. At the top of the tide we had to lock out as another couple of boats were going although we couldn’t raise either sail due to faulty rigging. Despite clumsy fingers and lack of knowledge the jib fluttered into position and we let go our nail-destroying grasp of the wall outside the lock gate expecting to sail to Maldon under the jib alone. The mainsail just wouldn’t go up at all.

The first stretch was a reach and all went well though we gradually sagged away to the lee shore. The hour of reckoning came at the bend turning to windward. The boat would not go about, the tide was ebbing fiercely, there were neither paddles nor anchor aboard and suddenly we were broadside on to a submerged causeway connecting the island to the mainland. Crash! The boat heeled wildly and I leapt overboard to hold her off. The others managed to raise the dagger plate and over we went gaily running down the creek in the opposite direction to Maldon. We hadn’t a chart on board, of course, but we thought we could run down one side of the island then beat up the main channel.

It was pleasant reaching across the tip of the island; the waves — not too big and terrifying — were chuckling merrily against the hull. After about half an hour of this delightful sailing we realised we were not moving — the tip of the plate was embedded firmly in the mud.

By the time the three of us had waded across a muddy shore (we left the boat anchored by her wooden rudder sunk as best we could in the mud) and a mile of saltings crisscrossed by deep muddy ravines, it was getting dark and we were dirty, wet and demoralised. Next day Norman hired a launch to tow the boat ignominiously to Maldon.

The moral of this story is that everybody has to learn but some can only do it the hard way!