Finished working on the boat, and had just locked the hatch when the dog
looked at me as if to say "Are we off then?'..

I nodded and she leaped off the boat - missed the dock, and slipped into
the water 4' down.

There are no ramps nearby.

She's splashing around and looking up at me.

Clear decisive thinking left me, just a need to save my dog.

So I slipped off my shoes and jumped in after her.

And it soon became desperately clear that there were now two of us in
trouble.

I couldn't reach the dock, only the gunwale of the boat, so I inched my
way along toward the prow and a rope.

Hauled my self up to the wooden bar above the rope, but with dog hanging
on my back, didn't have the strength to lift both of us out of the water.

So both of us just hung there half-in, half-out of the water with
nowhere else to go.

I could, however, bellow. And bellow 'Help' I did for at least 15 mins
before a couple of guys came rushing up. In the interval I had the
thought 'Why didn't I make for the swim ladder at the stern?' Or 'Why
didn't I let down the swim ladder and call the dog round there?'

Guy towed me to the lowered ladder and up I came, then they fished out
the dog (I don't know how, I was lying on the aft cabin roof shivering
uncontrollably)

Breath wouldn't come easy, I was gasping and gasping besides the
shivering. Dog shook herself and leaped back down in to the cabin.

My toes and fingertips were quite numb, my legs opened up by many cuts
from barnacles on the rope and dock parts I was clinging to.

It's now three days later and only my fingertips are numb, not with cold
but with bloodblisters have formed under my fingernails.

All's well that ends well, but I'll never do something so impulsive and
stupid again.

--

Molesworth