Hi,
Thanks to Roger and Cush for their entertaining stories about dinghy cruising. Many years ago I was sailing single-handed on the Blackwater in Esxxx when I capsized just off Herring Point, that's just before the river sweeps round the corner to Mill Beach and Heybridge Basin. I waved away the Safety boat being young and over-confident in my ability to get in and sail back to the HYTHE. A few seconds later I realised the rudder had fallen off! So I had to walk and swim the boat home through the shallows.
Next day at the crack of dawn I rowed out to the spot and waited for dead low tide. I was fairly confident of finding the rudder because it had an aluminium plate. I dug around in the gravel and mud. I found no rudder but I did find some little memorial casket lion handles from an ash -scattering ceremony perhaps and a glistening round thing like an upturned pudding basin. AT FIRST I thought it was an unexploded World War II bomb. Then I realised that the shape did not quite have the regularity of milled steel. It was in fact a very handsome bellarmine jug. I took it to the local museum, which had fifty or sixty like it so I was allowed to keep it. My little adventure did me no harm except a mild sore throat from the dirty (at that time) water. I did learn a very important lesson though. ALWAYS make sure you have a retaining clip
on your rudder !
Best wishes
David Hinks Mirror 40984
Streaker 1563
