It was on the River Crouch near Hullbridge about two years ago. We were having a quick 'dolly' down river and back before mooring up. Astern I noticed a Wayfarer dinghy being sailed single-handed under mainsail only; the sail was very baggy. Later as we headed back to our mooring - no sign of the baggy-sailed sailor! Then I found him. He had capsized, turtled over, and there was very little of the boat to be seen. As we approached, one of the wooden buoyancy tanks exploded upwards putting the boat lower in the water still. We hove to and managed to get the owner out of the water and into Gannet. He was very 'second hand', very wet and tired. Renee gave him coffee from the flask. Then we set about getting the sunken dinghy back to the bank - no easy task, as it acted like a giant rudder and pulled in all directions. We made it, tied her up, and took the owner back to the Woodham Ferrers side of the Crouch. He wandered off, thanking us, back to his car. Later he gave us a bottle of Scotch and chocolates, for 'saving his life'. We found it a very humbling experience. Points to note:

State of boat unknown. Skipper of mature order. Boat underwater, no hope of righting. Had this occurred in open water it would have been fatal. All dinghies can capsize; with a cabin your chances are better. The dinghy concerned was a Wayfarer.