by Eric Coleman

At two AGM’s, members have asked for articles about how to cope with mistakes and the basic details of dinghy cruising. Many of their questions will be answered when old Bulletin articles are reprinted and great efforts are being made to do this at the moment. In this article, I have tried to avoid duplication of material which has already appeared …. such as "Camping Ashore" in Bulletin No. 1.

Around most of our coasts, mud is often the first thing we encounter and much of our time is spent in fiendish battles with it. On the other hand, it is a kind and even loving substance. It will gently support your boat when you dry out and it has wonderful ways of getting aboard to keep you company.

Some owners keep their boats on moorings which dry out and they often have a small pram tender. There is no need to wait until the tide comes in before getting aboard and if returning late on the tide, the pram can be used for propulsion over mud.

Dig both oar blades vertically into the mud at the transom as shown at 'A' then lover both handles forward simultaneously to the position at 'B’. If you are moving uphill, take one oar out and dig it in as in 'A' then repeat with the other oar. If the surface is slightly downhill and the mud in a wet condition, you can make faster progress by using one oar at a time for propulsion so that when one oar is in position 'A', the other is at position 'B'. The best depth of penetration depends on the softness of the mud and is a matter of practice. Avoid any vicious wrenching, as this tends to rapidly deplete your stock of oars. Avoid the temptation to leap up in the air and give a quick jerk whilst the boat is lightly loaded. The strain on the oar blade is then very considerable because even a light pram has inertia. Also, of course, if the pram does shoot away, it might not be there when you come down again.

If you go aground whilst sailing then the above method may get you off, particularly in the case of light boats. Usually you can get off simply by thrusting the oar end on into the mud. The essential thing here is to pull the oar out of the mud by a few vicious tugs, otherwise you will simply pull the boat back on. It has been suggested that this method is more effective if the handle is pushed into the mud because it will not penetrate so far but I have not tried it as it is a bit messy. Sometimes you can get off by heeling the boat because this reduces the draft. If all fails and the tide is falling, don't waste time, order the crew overboard. It may even be. necessary for the skipper to do likewise but don't leap overboard unless your previous prodding has indicated a reasonably firm bottom. Ease yourself over the side and bend over the gun'l facing inwards with a large proportion of your weight on your hands. You won't sink far even in soft mud and the boat, relieved of much of her load, will float higher so that she can be walked into deep water. If she has sidedecks and the mud is semi liquid, then rest on your stomach and make paddling motions with your feet. When getting back aboard, sit on the sidedeck, take off your shoes, place them on the sidedeck, and sponge your feet which are dangling in the water then get inside and get the mud off your shoes with a small scrubbing brush.

Sometimes you may wish to get under way and your anchor is far up a mud slope. If the mud is too soft to walk on, a fisherman anchor can be pulled through it by holding the warp high up and jerking it. A plough type anchor may be more difficult. If you have an inflatable aboard you can rest your hands on its stern to take some weight off your feet then walk over the mud pushing it ahead. Otherwise, with oars or paddles aboard and knowledge of skiing you have a glorious opportunity of getting absolutely plastered. Inflatables are ideal for crossing saltings. Even at low water they can be launched into the muddy bottoms of the channels and used as a bridge, being hauled up again on the far side.

If you intend to let the boat dry out and then walk over the mud to the shore, leave a bucket of water aboard if you expect to get back before the tide comes in. When walking on mud you will sink in less if you wear shoes, but the laces should be tight otherwise they could be sucked off. In any popular anchorage where there is a mixture of mud and stones, there is likely to be broken glass. If, as you leave the boat, the mud gets dangerously soft the farther you go, don't cast around for firmer ground but retrace your route back to the boat. If the worst comes to the worst and you are trapped then lie on your back, gently work your legs out and with swimming motions of your arms and legs work your way over the mud to the nearest safety. This could be land or water, the buoyancy of which will keep you from sinking in if you wade chest high. I should add that, in 20 years of cruising, I have never known anyone who has had to do this.

Mishaps in the mud are all in the game of cruising. On one occasion, I had a girl with me who wanted to go ashore to spend a penny, so I nosed into the mud saying "This looks firm enough", so she, having sublime faith in my judgement, leapt in up to her thighs (she was wearing long trousers). I helped her up on to the foredeck. "You can't come into my boat in that state!" said I. "Take your trousers off, wash yourself and change into your spare pair". 0n another occasion I was with another girl and was in the act of picking the anchor out of the mud to carry back to the boat when I tripped over the warp and sat down to the accompaniment of a howl of mirth from the boat. This time it was my turn to change on the foredeck.

On a third occasion I had two other girls aboard and ordered them over the side to push me out into deep water as we were on something of a lee shore in rather hectic conditions. I did not let them back aboard until they were waist deep as I wanted to be certain of sailing off. It was warm weather and they were pretty well soaked anyway. All the girls wore from the same sailing group and funnily enough I never had difficulty in getting a crew!