Here in the Chesapeake we’ve been experiencing unusually hot weather. The days are scorching and the evenings… well, exciting! Clouds fluff up out of nowhere and give us the most incredible and vibrant lightning displays. It makes us humans feel very insignificant and I find myself in awe of the sheer power of nature.
One such squall appeared very recently. We knew it was coming thanks to the WeatherBug app, which has proved to be really rather accurate. We dashed off in the dinghy to go and collect our children who were playing at a friend’s house. On leaving their house, lightning had started overhead, so we decided to stay put. Keeping a close lookout, the wind and rain did not seem bad enough to cause huge alarm, and so we held tight for an hour until it moderated.
Walking back down the dock to our dinghy, Ladybird, we realised that Alisara was not where we had left her! Feelings of doom spread inside me, although I tried not to show it and remained positive as we climbed into our tender.
We soon located Alisara across the bay nestled between two private docks. Motoring quickly towards her, lightning still flashing occasionally overhead, Douglas and I were both separately running through scenarios in our heads. It would appear that our daughter was doing the same; “Muuuuuuummy, will Sweet Pea be OK?” miracle as a few feet either way and she would have wiped out docks and motorboats!
Stuck in the mud
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Orca sink yacht in Strait of Gibraltar
Spain's maritime rescue service, Salvamento Maritimo, has reported that a 15m (49ft) yacht sank in Moroccan waters in the Strait of Gibraltar following interaction with a pod of orca.
No kill cord or lifejackets were worn during fatal powerboat crash
A kill cord and lifejacket are useless unless worn-that's the warning from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), following its investigation into a powerboat crash that killed a 32-year-old woman and five-year-old girl on 2 October 2022.
Multihull sail work
Brush up on multihull sailing skills before heading off on charter with Gavin Le Sueur's guide to spinnaker handling, tacking and gybing
Five top causes of engine failure and how to prevent them
Jake Kavanagh talks to Sea Start marine engineer Nick Eales about how to avoid the five major causes of an engine breakdown at sea
Sail the Atlantic with strangers
Would you sail across the Atlantic with someone you've just met? Ali Wood meets the cruising crews who've done just that
IZIBoat: simple sailing
Rupert Holmes sails an innovative catamaran design intended to widen participation in sailing among those with little time to get on the water in more conventional craft
30 WAYS TO GET AFLOAT
From tall ships to small dinghies, you needn't own a boat to sail. Ali Wood looks at the options, and how skippers can also find crew
Boats for restoring under £20,000
Duncan Kent picks the best sub-35ft sail and power boats to look for when aiming to undertake a restoration on a budget
Seaworthy dinghies for less than £500
For low cost traditionally-styled GRP trailer-sailers, consider the Foreland and the Otter available at bargain basement prices
Playing with coloured sails
Maintaining an hourglass-shaped balloon and ratcheting up the log numbers