The Whitsun rally at Ashlett has left its mark on at least one of the (very few) chaps who were there.

My mate and I consulted the AA tide table for the day before the meet and made interpolations and reckoned that we should catch the last of the stand of high to launch and clear Ashlett, then to work the Strong Man of the sailing barges down to Yarmouth for opening time then catch the tide up again to the Folly Inn in Cowes River for a “sheltered” night.

And so we might, but for the innate cussedness of material things.

When I went to pick up my mate early in the morning with the boat in train there was a flat tyre. Out jack, off dud, on recently checked spare and then away. Though no time wasted, this cost an hour including mending puncture.

Gloom and repeated application to tide table. Wish we had some tidal range data for Ashlett.

Just as we feared: ebbing fast but a perfect sailing day, so made ready and set out under sail (how else? we thought). Got in three tacks, touching most of the time, gave up and set off in a sensible fashion, perhaps, under (or over) outboard. We soon found that we lost the channel and the new long-shaft did not work well in mud. So we pulled ourselves back with the mud-weight, but soon on again, and there we stuck, with the mud too liquid to walk on and too liquid to join the jokers going into the pub come opening time. And on the other side we could see lots of sails in Southampton Water.

This was all too much for my mate, who holds a master’s ticket and likes his pint; he felt it very personally.

Six hours later we floated off and set out gaily only to have the much abused shear-pin go. Yes, we had a spare, but in haste I dropped the outboard overboard in re-mounting it. Yes, it was tied on. But would it go? Yes!

So we got out to a fast reach past Cowes which made up for everything and brought us to the Folly just right for opening. A nice evening sail.

On the day of the meet we made reasonably uneventful departure and passage to Hamble. Then, refreshed, across Southampton Water to Ashlett to wait for the flood as soon as there was enough water, so we lay to our mud-weight and slept. Woke to the sound of breakers on a lee shore, having dragged. Out CQR, which we should have used in the first place. By this time we were in too shallow water for the long-shaft outboard, so those on shore saw us trying to drag ourselves off by throwing and hauling in on the mud-weight — difficult, dirty and dangerous. Once off and, blow me, we touched with this damn long-shaft, but this time we broke the bracket. So when we did get in with an improvised bracket we could hardly put any helm on for fear of it jumping off again.

Limping home was about it. Anyway, we met two other DCA boats, so we got to the meet. (Ashlett is very tide-bound. Please, if we have any other meets there could we arrange for the tide to be high at a slightly more convenient time?).

To crown it all we had a flat in one of the trailer wheels on the way back, too. All in all more trouble on one little trip than I have ever had. But I shall re-mount the outboard bracket.

Many thanks to those who helped us recover.