This is because we have spent so much time in marinas.
The dinghy is strapped to the deck, so gets battered by the weather and lashed by the waves.
After months of under use and abuse, the dinghy decided yesterday to make it's mark on the trip.
After rowing ashore I pulled the dinghy under cover - a tunnel under the promenade - and tied it up.
It then rained solidly for 4 hours.
On returning, I noticed that that the dinghy had moved. It was also full to the brim with water, filled by a drain from the road above that was emptying straight into it!
The tide had come in and nudged the dinghy to the worst place possible - under the spout!
The dinghy was too heavy to move, so I had to use the seat to scoop water out, while water cascaded onto me from above! Lovely!
In time the dinghy was just about light enough to move from under the spout. It could then be emptied, without being refilled from the waterfall above!
Eventually it was light enough to lift and could be lifted and fully emptied - what a pain that had been!
Back on the boat after dark, the tide went out and we were once again resting on the keels on the sand. The mooring here dries out, so the boat sits on the bottom of the harbour at low tide.
Suddenly there was a bang underneath. I realised that it was the dinghy, which had floated under the boat in the shallows and had been slammed into the bottom of the boat by a small wave.
The dinghy was pulled onto the boat and then off to bed, with no further thought to consequences.
On closer inspection this morning, the dinghy had a few pieces of gel coat in it. Not sure where these came from but I have postponed the trip to Swansea so that I can inspect the bottom of the boat at low tide.
The dinghy had certainly taken revenge for my neglect of it!
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