How do you get there? If you have a centerboard, raise it. This will decrease draft, possibly enough to free boat. Can you sail off? If you were sailing down wind when you ran aground, harden up and try to go to windward. If you were sailing close hauled, tack immediately and move crew weight to leeward. If sailing off on a reach or downwind would put you into deeper water, ease sails and fall off toward deeper water. Move crew weight around to heel boat in direction which is most likely to help it to slide off - this alone may reduce boat's draft enough to free her up. If this doesn't work, drop sails, as wind on sails will continue to push you harder onto shallow water. Furl them out of way. On deck they will become a slippery liability.

Kedging off -- Once you've set an anchor in deeper water, you may be able to winch it in and pull boat off that way. Again, moving crew weight around may help immeasurably. It may help to rock boat by shifting crew weight back and forth as you winch in on anchor.

Use a halyard -- If you know that heeling boat in one direction will help, hand a halyard to someone in a dingy who can then carefully motor off boat's beam and pull it over farther. If you don't have a dingy, a crew member can grab a halyard and swing out over beam of boat to try to increase heel.

Get off and push - This technique is obviously only safe and effective in very shallow water, and thus will only work with a very shallow draft boat, such as a day sailor or a multihull. Before getting in water, be sure to put shoes on. Make sure that boat won't sail off without you, and that you have a way to get back onto boat.

Accept tow? As a last resort, if all other options have failed. This may require a VHF call to a towing company. Be careful -- a big powerful powerboat may be able to pull with more force than boat's equipment can handle--the boat's hull can be damaged. The boat must have a cleat strong enough to take strain of a tow, which may be considerable. If there is no cleat strong enough, consider tying off to base of mast. If mast is stepped through deck it will take strain, if it's stepped on deck it may not. The line used as tow line also must be strong enough to take strain of towing -- if it breaks under strain of pull of a tow boat, it will become a lethal weapon.

When you may not want to refloat boat -- if you have a hole in bottom you may be better off right where you are, at least until you've been able to carry out enough of an emergency repair to keep boat from sinking.

Lennie Ballard Sensei and Peter Dowden Sensei.

They appeared inseparable and were really great friends, they would do most of knife and club displays. I would deputise for them in their ladies classes. They left HUT shortly after Eric Dollimore.

John Caldwell Sensei.

John was an electrician who worked with Sensei Williams. He was not only a first dan in aikido but also a semi professional sparring partner and boxer. He sparred with some notable boxers such as ex world champs Terry Downs and Terry Spinks who were both world champions at their own weight. John once took me to 'Thomas A Becket' , a famous training gym for boxers above a London pub. That was a special treat for a young lad like me as many world famous UK and USA boxers had trained there. I also remember that once when John was out doing some running training he was attacked by a large alsatian dog which chased after him. John turned as dog launched itself at him. He kicked hard at dog, kicking it straight in throat and it died instantly. A little different to Abbe Sensei's experience with an Alsatian but non less unavoidable.

Hamish McFarlane Sensei.

Was older and senior to me he was also a good judoka. He was a 1st kyu (brown belt) in Aikido when I started yet we ended up taking our dan grade test together some four years later. When I received my first dan, Sensei Ellis as tradition demanded presented me with my first black belt and hakama which was of a very good quality. No one ever knew where Hamish got his hakama from. Ellis spread rumour that hakama was an ex war dept army blanket as it was a thick material with no traditional pleats. That joke never left Hamish, and I even laughed with Sensei Foster about it recently (July 2003). There was one thing about Hamish that very few knew. When he first asked if he could join Aikido class he told Sensei Williams that Doctor had told him he would within 12 months be confined to a wheelchair for rest of his life because of a serious condition with his spine. He started Aikido, and practiced until his death in his 60's. He also went to Japan and trained at Aiki-Kai. I have recently heard sad news that Hamish died a little while ago.

Early dan gradings.

Q-DW: How do you compare grading system ofthe early days at HUT with some that you have seen in later years ?.

A-SE: Grading procedures were not so technically ritualised as they are today. Where as at HUT, grading would be very physical with constant 100% attack, no one ever got through a grading without a few lumps. I think that most of old dan grades would agree that 3rd kyu (green belt) was always hardest; considered by both Abbe Sensei and Williams Sensei to be transition grade between beginner and high grade and your first step as a assistant teacher. It was also first grading where we had to take attack from a real knife. When it was my first time Sensei Williams asked me "Are you prepared to accept real knife " I said "YES" but I really meant NO. Eric Dollimore stood before me holding a large knife in his LEFT hand, I just froze. Sensei Williams said " Derek you forgot Eric is left handed" then he told Eric to attack with his right and then his left. When I took my first dan, what stands out most in my mind was how tired I was when it was my turn. I had been uke for all other grades and to be honest I don't know how I got through it all. I just wanted to get it all over with. I took Hamish with a positive tenchi nage and really hammered him into mat. Nakazono Sensei said he was very pleased with that final technique and awarded me first dan.

Continued in Part Three: