The engine problem was bothering me.

The engine problem was bothering me. I was 90% sure something had wrapped round the propeller. I suggested that my colleagues Lyosha and Dima bring their children for a weekend aboard and some diving under the boat. I bought a mask, wetsuit and underwater torches on Amazon. Another colleague, Simon, lent me a second wetsuit.

This time, instead of carrying the anchor bucket forward, I dropped the anchor straight from the stern. Much easier. Dima and I changed and began diving. It took a while to locate our target, but then things went smoothly. Unfortunately, we found nothing except barnacles. We could turn the blades, and I even shone a light on the shiny propeller shaft — or rather, the five millimetres visible between hull and propeller.

Climbing out, we covered the stern in blood from hands cut by barnacles. We enthused about the new experience and praised the wetsuits. The sea was 18°C, but the suits felt as though they added another five degrees. Then we heated sausages and rice and made tea. It began to pour, and I understood why you anchor from the bow: wind and rain blew straight into the saloon, but it was too stuffy to close the hatch.

#notes