Not long after I bought my 15 foot boat we went on vacation to seaside holiday town. My wife is not a great water person so I formed a plan to go for a nice quiet morning cruise for breakfast at a cafe near the famous mile long jetty as an introduction. My wife wasn't so keen on the plan but her mother who had joined us for a few days issued orders to her and she was "press ganged" aboard. Well the cruise up was uneventful and we came alongside a smaller jetty. Wife and kids get off uneventfully but I didn't explain to mum-in-law that getting on and off is a question of commitment, commit to the boat until you commit to the jetty. I didn't lose her between the boat and the jetty but it was a close call. About then wife comes back and tells me the jetty ends about 6 feet short of the beach. All I could say is it looks like your going to have to get your feet wet. Not Happy! It was a gray cold weekday and there were no other boats on the water, I didn't have any fenders so the plan was to anchor the stern away from the jetty and have a bow line to the jetty close enough so I could jump over. I set the anchor and pulled the boat forward impressed at my ability to judge the correct length of anchor rope 1st try. With the grace of a natural boatman I jumped to the jetty. I think "that was pretty easy" and turn to watch the boat drift slowly away from the jetty. I had caught my toe on the bow line and flipped it off the boat's bollard. I had one chance to lassoo the boat with the bow line but missed (Hey I'm a boatman not a cowboy) and the boat swings on the stern anchor well out of reach. So I coil the the line and walk down the jetty for breakfast. Mum in law waiting outside the cafe looks at me, the rope in my hand, out to the boat, does the math and bursts out laughing. Breakfast was good then I go swimming and wife takes a taxi home.<br /><br />Cheers from Oz
"Well, I remember the day.....(27 years ago....)"