Capsize drill

A photo taken from the Safety Boat during sail training at Frampton earlier today. I'm in charge of the boat on the left.

photo: samuel callen

It was fun, although I'd forgotten just how damned cold April water can be. Actually no, I hadn't. I'd just been kidding myself it was never that bad. Once I got home, it took about an hour slumped in the bottom of our shower before feeling came back to my feet.

I think it's also the closest I've come to drowning, though I don't think anybody else noticed. Second group, I pulled the boat over, mainsail came down on me. No worries, perfectly normal. We teach people how to deal with this. Except one of the students must've landed on top of the mainsail, so the mast and boom both sunk quickly and I was temporarily pinned underneath the sail.

Entirely my fault, and lesson learned. I should've been more controlled in pulling the boat over.

The near panic of the moment was heavily coloured by a healthy dose of embarrassment; I was the instructor, I was supposed to be in control of the situation and looking after my students, how bad would it, and I,  have looked if I'd drowned? But despite that, and despite the numbed feet, I had a lot of fun.