As I launched from the slipway of Titchmarsh Marina for the 2001 Walton Backwaters rally, a small but vital piece of my outboard snapped in two and sank, glinting, into more water than I could reasonably retrieve it from. It wasn't my first attempt at cruising in the season. Sometime earlier in the year I'd arrived at the marina, having driven for about three hours, mentally rigging the boat and had the sinking realisation that I had left my sails at home. This time I'd thought I had it all covered until the piece fell off the outboard, but I set off anyway in company with Dave Jennings in his Highlander.

Although it was the beginning of May the wind from the North East was cold and slightly stronger than was comfortable as we sailed down the Walton channel bound for Kirby Creek for lunch. We had a lively run down Hamford Water and turned South in the hope that one of the mooring buoys beyond Honey Island might prove a sheltered stopping place. The buoys were all free, and as I'd arrived first, I lined up on a likely one and went to pick it up. Picking up buoys was something I needed more practice at I found as I arrived at the buoy much too fast. I stood up holding on to the buoy about halfway down the boat as it gybed unintentionally and I was knocked out of the boat by the boom into the water. I climbed back in very quickly, not too wet considering, and ran onto the mud before I could sort myself out. I rowed over to where Dave had more successfully than me picked up the mooring, and rafted up for some hot soup. As we drank our soup the RNLI inshore boat turned up asking if we were alright. I suppose it was me falling in that someone had reported -I think I half expected that someone reporting an incident would stay around to find out what happened - perhaps someone was having a bad day elsewhere.

It was still cold and a bit miserable after lunch so the best choice seemed to be to go back to the marina for the night. The tide was now ebbing but the wind was still fresh from the North East. We would have to beat back round the North of Horsey Island to the entrance to the Walton Channel. I was relying on my centreboard to tell me when to tack as I went down the channel. I've found before that if necessary I can lift the centre board and the rudder and gybe round if I go slightly aground. This time I was overconfident and ran firmly onto the mud on the south side of the channel, still on the port tack I had been sailing. All thought of getting off rapidly retreated with the tide leaving me some distance from the water. I put up my spray hood for shelter, but not being head to wind it wasn't as sheltered as all that. I had about four hours before I refloated I calculated and it was soon obvious that I would be quite cold by then. I rigged the tent (again best head to wind) and settled in with the proverbial good book. A steady supply of hot drinks may have been more appropriate - I will know next time.

Late in the afternoon, as predicted, I floated off now facing both the incoming tide and the wind back to the marina. I put on more sail to overcome the wind and tide and settled in for a long beat, being more careful about the edges of the channel this time. As I entered the Walton Channel I passed a small yacht also waiting to be floated off. Walton Channel was a fast run on the port tack -the wind must have moved round more to the North - and the Cruz planed quite a large proportion of the channel. The turn to starboard to the marina at the bottom of the channel would require a fast gybe. When the mainsail whipped across there was a sharp crack as the rivets gave way on the fitting attaching the mainsheet to the boom. I entered the marina on just the mizzen, relieved to have made it at all without further assistance from the RNLI. I tied up on a solid and welcoming pontoon and rigged the tent, before adjourning to the bar to recover more fully. The following morning I found my motor battery was flat and I was very grateful to Ted Jones for a tow back to the slip against the strong wind and tide.

All in all it was a "learning experience" as they say. The sails were on the check list already. I spent a few hours in the garage with a file and a lump of aluminium replacing the outboard part -experience said it was futile trying to buy a spare. I replaced the rivets on the boom fitting, and will check more closely in future before the start of - and during - the season. The battery had irretrievably died so I bought a new one, and have been following the "battery care" instructions as closely as I can. A flask of hot water carried in the boat at (almost) all times is to provide sustaining hot drinks, and I will always tack at the first twitch of the centreboard if not before. And finally, if you find me attacking the racing buoys at Milton Keynes you will know it is not a quest for speed - I am only trying to avoid further visitations from the RNLI!