Having survived an encounter with vicious squalls in the Gareloch aboard a Dragon class racing yacht, I now find myself, with about 6 or 7 0thers on a very small motor launch returning from filming on an island in the Solway Firth. It is mid-winter, late afternoon,bitterly cold & very dark. A line which had been trailing behind us towing a small boat has gone. This was preceded by the engine coughing for a short period before dying - as may well happen to us all very shortly.
Water is coming aboard from all directions. Duckboards have been screwed down with the water building up beneath them. No chance of effectively bailing out & to my utter amazement no life-saving equipment available.
There is a slim possibility of surviving. This would require someone, stripped to the waist, fit ,strong & prepared to be lowered over the stern in these most appalling conditions, attempting to release whatever is wrapped around the prop shaft, which by rights should be sticking out from the stern, but is not doing so.
Someone has discovered an old pearl - handled fruit knife in his sandwich box. It is snatched from his hand, this could be our only hope of surviving. Hurried attempts are now made to sharpen the tiny silver blade by rubbing it against an old rusty metal bracket attached to the boat's hull.
My assistant, the youngest & fittest agrees to undertake the task of searching beneath the boat. He knows that not to do so will result in the deaths of all aboard, there is no alternative.
We manage a laugh of sorts when he remembers to remove spare cash from his trouser pockets.
I take one leg, someone else the other. " Kick your feet violently & we'll pull you up, after all you may need to take a breath from time to time "
A final reminder, " Drop the knife & we're all dead "
After three attempts with considerable shivering & shaking & his skin becoming more purple in colour each time, he ultimately emerges holding what was left of the line. Everyone piles in offering their own clothes in order to dry him.
The engine, with some coaxing re - starts. We make towards the mainland ( very gently ). Danger not over yet as boat remains full of water & we shall be encountering two lots of water travelling from different directions towards each other as we round a certain rocky section of the coast. This with a rising wind would swamp us. However, all goes well & we make it safely back to our hotel.
" What an interesting job you must have " ( unidentified voice heard in hotel foyer within minutes of our return ).
Water is coming aboard from all directions. Duckboards have been screwed down with the water building up beneath them. No chance of effectively bailing out & to my utter amazement no life-saving equipment available.
There is a slim possibility of surviving. This would require someone, stripped to the waist, fit ,strong & prepared to be lowered over the stern in these most appalling conditions, attempting to release whatever is wrapped around the prop shaft, which by rights should be sticking out from the stern, but is not doing so.
Someone has discovered an old pearl - handled fruit knife in his sandwich box. It is snatched from his hand, this could be our only hope of surviving. Hurried attempts are now made to sharpen the tiny silver blade by rubbing it against an old rusty metal bracket attached to the boat's hull.
My assistant, the youngest & fittest agrees to undertake the task of searching beneath the boat. He knows that not to do so will result in the deaths of all aboard, there is no alternative.
We manage a laugh of sorts when he remembers to remove spare cash from his trouser pockets.
I take one leg, someone else the other. " Kick your feet violently & we'll pull you up, after all you may need to take a breath from time to time "
A final reminder, " Drop the knife & we're all dead "
After three attempts with considerable shivering & shaking & his skin becoming more purple in colour each time, he ultimately emerges holding what was left of the line. Everyone piles in offering their own clothes in order to dry him.
The engine, with some coaxing re - starts. We make towards the mainland ( very gently ). Danger not over yet as boat remains full of water & we shall be encountering two lots of water travelling from different directions towards each other as we round a certain rocky section of the coast. This with a rising wind would swamp us. However, all goes well & we make it safely back to our hotel.
" What an interesting job you must have " ( unidentified voice heard in hotel foyer within minutes of our return ).
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