The trailer wheel bearings creaked into motion and made a growling sound so I put bearings on my list of things to do, probably renew, as salt water reduces bearings to rust in no time at all.

Mark and I climbed into my Freelander and we squeaked down to the launch site (about half a mile). Mark switched on the tape player and out came the lilting sound of the intro to Titanic. He quickly switched off the player onto the radio. Would you believe that the radio was also playing the theme to Titanic, I kid you not! Was this an omen or what? We toyed with the idea of doing a ‘U’ turn but bravado won the day and we carried on to our fate.

We got the boat off the trailer into the water but there was a cross wind blowing and we had difficulty keeping the boat from blowing back up the beach. I waded out to a bouy in my waders pulling the boat behind and whilst Mark held us steady I got the engine going and we headed out to sea. The boat rose up on the plane with no problems and we flew! For about a mile. Then suddenly smoke billowed out of the engine casing and the engine cut out! I tried to restart it but our luck had run out, all the time the Titanic theme was running through my head as the wind started to push us away from the bay.

So on to plan ‘B’.

I tickled the carb on the spare Seagull engine and pulled the cord. The engine burst into life and I sighed with relief as we slowly made our way back in to the bay. Thank Heaven for small engines. Mark commented that the spare engine was the best purchase that I had ever made for the boat.

During Winter 2003 I purchased an electric start Evinrude 50 hp o/board so 2004 should be a good year for boating. >