On Mon, 16 Jan 2006 20:31:01 -0500, "Bart Senior" .@. wrote:

Time for some fun. Who has some good
"falling in" stories. "Falling in" the water, "falling
in" the dink, "falling down" the companionway, etc.



When we first got our Columbia 8.7 we had intermittant engine failures
until I finally figured out what was causing it and did a permanenet
fix. However, for the first six months we often had to dock under
sail and I got fairly good at it. One winter night we were returning
and the engine would not start as we approached the harbor so it was
going to be another dock under sail. My father in law was at the helm
and we decided to leave him there let him have the experience.

With the prevailing winds the procedure was to make a down wind run
through the relatively narrow entrance channel until we passed the
pier our slip was on, then turn to starbord, coming up on a reach for
several hundred yards, then at the appropriate time turn to starbord
again dead into the wind coast about 25 yards while dropping the
sails, and if you had judged everything properly you come up a few
feet short of the main pier.

I could tell when we made the final turn we were too hot coming in but
by then it was too late to do anything about it. I was in the pulpit,
trying to judge whether I could stick my foot out and brace against
the dock box to cushion the impact without getting a vital body part
between the boat and something hard and stationary. Managed to brake
it some, but the pulpit hit the dock box and unfortunately recoiled
away from the pier. I did the classic one foot on the boat the other
on the pier with them separating. Into the drink. Even in
Mississippi, the Gulf is cold in January.

My father in law thought that was pretty funny until he realized I was
wearing his prized bomber jacket (he had been a WWII pilot). Both the
jacket and I recovered easily, the bowpulpit and dock box required
more extensive repairs..