Running Aground!

Written by Linda Cullum


RUNNING AGROUND AND GETTING OFF

In every sailor's life lurksrepparttar inevitability of an eventual grounding. If you're a sailor and you haven't yet run aground, chances are very good that one day you will.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU RUN AGROUND DON'T PANIC -- doingrepparttar 132899 wrong thing can put you on harder.

Now that you're onrepparttar 132900 bottom, take a minute to evaluaterepparttar 132901 situation. Checkrepparttar 132902 bilge to be sure that you haven't holedrepparttar 132903 boat and aren't taking on water. What isrepparttar 132904 nature ofrepparttar 132905 bottom? If it's soft sand or grass, chances are good thatrepparttar 132906 boat is undamaged, and that if you need to motor or kedge off you won't grind a hole inrepparttar 132907 boat.Your objective is to get safely into deeper water.

Motoring off -- If you have a motor or engine your first inclination will be to start it up and try to back out. This may work, but be careful. In sandy or muddy bottoms you are likely to suck sand up intorepparttar 132908 cooling system and renderrepparttar 132909 motor useless. A powerful engine in shallow water can actually push sand fromrepparttar 132910 stern to underrepparttar 132911 keel, makingrepparttar 132912 situation worse. If you're on rocks and you reverse hard, you may dragrepparttar 132913 hull alongrepparttar 132914 rocks and damage or even holerepparttar 132915 boat.

Set out an anchor. One ofrepparttar 132916 first things to do is to set out an anchor to keep your boat from being pushed even farther ontorepparttar 132917 shoal. If you have a dingy you can use it to carry out an anchor. If you don't have a dingy, and if conditions are calm, maybe someone wearing buoyant flotation gear can swim an anchor out. Be aware that this is not an easy task and a person can become totally exhausted very quickly. If your boat is a small one, your anchor is also probably small enough and light enough for you to be able to throw it far enough for it to work, but be careful if you do this. You don't want to go overboard with it. Keep as much tension onrepparttar 132918 anchor line as you can. This alone may help free you up, especially if you have a rising tide, or if passing boats create enough of a wake to raise you up momentarily.

What isrepparttar 132919 state ofrepparttar 132920 tide? If you've gone aground on a rising tide, you may just be able to wait a couple of hours until it rises enough to refloatrepparttar 132921 boat. If you've gone aground on a falling tide, however, you need to get into deeper water fast, or you may be stuck where you are for an entire tide change. If this happens, and ifrepparttar 132922 boat is likely to end up lying on its side, close up hatches and companionways to keep it from flooding. If you'd be better off lying on one side than onrepparttar 132923 other, try to kedge off an anchor from what you want to berepparttar 132924 low side. You may also be able to control which side ends up high by shifting crew and gear weight. Where isrepparttar 132925 deeper water? It may seem obvious that deeper water lies behind you, but it might be even deeper beside you. Of course it's not directly in front of you -- if it were, you wouldn't have run aground inrepparttar 132926 first place. To find whererepparttar 132927 deeper water is, you have some options. If you have a lead line you can lower it offrepparttar 132928 boat from all sides to get a measurement ofrepparttar 132929 depth. You can make a lead line by taking a light line and attaching a weight torepparttar 132930 end. You could also very quickly put a boat hook or an oar inrepparttar 132931 water.

Aikido: The Derek Eastman Sensei Biography - Part Two.

Written by Derek Eastman Co - Author of the new book Positive Aikido.


Part Two:

A meeting with Sensei Tatsuo Suzuki.

Q -DW: You said there were two occasions?

A -SE: We did a really big display at Crystal Palace in a Budo and Judo Championships, we always started with a display but with Sensei having a short fuse we always ended up having a battle of some sort, this one was no different. The great Karate teacher Tatsuo Suzuki who had just been on was now watching us, as we finished he walked over to us and he looked very stern, I was glad Sensei was in front of me.. As Sensei was about to step offrepparttar mat Suzuki Sensei walked up to him and said,. "Thank you, That isrepparttar 132898 best display of Aikido I have ever seen", he then bowed and walked away.

Impressions ofrepparttar 132899 early HUT teachers.

Q -DW: You said you were an assistant to Sensei Ellis andrepparttar 132900 only junior at that time and that you were alsorepparttar 132901 general dojo assistant so you would have been in close contact with many if not all ofrepparttar 132902 old teachers, what were your impressions ofrepparttar 132903 ones you came into contact with ?.

A -SE: I will mention them fromrepparttar 132904 highest grade down.

Kenshiro Abbe Sensei.

I would see Abbe Sensei occasionally onrepparttar 132905 aikido mat, he would step ontorepparttar 132906 mat to make a point or teach. He didn't often bother to change into his gi, he would come onrepparttar 132907 mat in this old brown de-mob suit; (afterrepparttar 132908 war soldiers were given a brown suit when leavingrepparttar 132909 army, and it was called a de-mob suit, I am sure that this was one). Sensei Williams would sometimes ask me to take Abbe Sensei home to Acton in my three wheeled "Isetta" bubble car, Sensei Williams told me if I had an accident with Sensei inrepparttar 132910 car I would have to leaverepparttar 132911 country and never be seen again, I believed him. Abbe Sensei sat inrepparttar 132912 Bubble car forrepparttar 132913 first time. He looked aroundrepparttar 132914 little car, then at me, he gave me a very puzzled look and asked " How many wheels" I replied " 3 Sensei ". He replied " Necessary, where are wheels?" I said "2 inrepparttar 132915 front and one atrepparttar 132916 back Sensei". He thought for a moment and then he said " Ahhhh! Strong triangle". He did not speak another word duringrepparttar 132917 journey, which was normal for Abbe Sensei. Unlike some of his so called "FRIENDS" who claim to have had long and meaningful philosophical /psychological conversations with him, his English was poor and he did not waste it.

Ken Williams Sensei.

Sensei K Williamsrepparttar 132918 head ofrepparttar 132919 dojo did not use me as much asrepparttar 132920 others. He was in total control ofrepparttar 132921 dojo and all who were in it. He was not only aikido but 3rd dan judo and a very good one at that. He would officiate as a referee atrepparttar 132922 American Air Base at Ruislip, once he was a referee atrepparttar 132923 USAF international Judo Championships. We would get a lot of American students come to train atrepparttar 132924 Hut in our beginners classes.

David Williams Sensei.

David was in charge ofrepparttar 132925 Karate section beforerepparttar 132926 arrival of Harada Sensei, I enjoyed my regular practice with Ken Griffiths, and later Ken Waite who was to becomerepparttar 132927 first European assistant to Harada Sensei. However, David Williams in my opinion had a very cruel streak to his character. Williams and Ellis and others would teach as Abbe Sensei did with a shinai. It was used a gentle form of intimidation to help motivate you with a little whack onrepparttar 132928 backside to get your attention. This would be done with a smile and humour and no one ever objected to this light hearted form of discipline. Now with David Williams, he meant it!, and appeared to enjoy it. I will leave it at that as I don't want to expand on this subject. Closed!.

Eric Dollimore Sensei.

Eric was only 5ft 5in tall andrepparttar 132929 most dynamic exponent of aikido inrepparttar 132930 Hut dojo. What I remember most of Eric was one Sunday morning when I was practicing atrepparttar 132931 bottom ofrepparttar 132932 dojo with some ofrepparttar 132933 high kyu grades. There was quite a bit of action taking place atrepparttar 132934 top end ofrepparttar 132935 mat withrepparttar 132936 dan grades, Eric did a very hard technique on Ellis slamming him deep intorepparttar 132937 mat. He then excused himself saying " Sorry! I have to go, I have to be at my girlfriends for lunch at 12-00 noon". Ellis got up fromrepparttar 132938 mat and I could see he was not happy, Eric had now leftrepparttar 132939 mat. Ellis called out to him "Eric you want to fight for real?" Eric replied "Sorry Harry, I really don't have time". Ellis walked back torepparttar 132940 other dan grades, probably satisfied with Eric's excuse. It was then that I saw Eric come back out ofrepparttar 132941 changing room minus his hakama and called out "OK Harry!! But we have got to be quick". They both immediately squared up to each other in posture, after a few seconds Ellis made what looked like a fearful blow at Eric's head, Eric turned under Ellis withrepparttar 132942 best Koshi waza technique I have ever seen launching Ellis into and throughrepparttar 132943 plaster board office partition. Sensei Williams was sitting inrepparttar 132944 office when Ellis joined him as he went straight throughrepparttar 132945 wall. As Ellis sat there covered in plaster board dust, Eric call out " See ya, Ive got to go I am late for dinner". I have always said it was like something out ofrepparttar 132946 movies.

Haydn Foster Sensei.

He was a little older thanrepparttar 132947 rest of us and was regarded with respect and affection. His favourite technique was Irimi nage as he put you down hard he always gave that well know throaty laugh of his after leaving you stunned.

Henry (Harry)Ellis Sensei.

Henry Ellis was my teacher and is continually referred to in this interview.

There is one story that I have never seen in print that I will tell you of. Inrepparttar 132948 sixties we heard of another group who were doing Aikido in North London with a well known Japanese Judo teacher called Senta Yamada. He was teaching a style we had never heard of called "Tomiki Aikido" so we decided to go and check them out. Allrepparttar 132949 dan grades gathered atrepparttar 132950 HUT one evening and we set off to this Tomiki dojo. We just did not know what to expect. When we arrived we respectfully entered their dojo. Sensei Williams spoke torepparttar 132951 instructor in charge and asked if we could practice. The instructor said "NO!, I am sorry but you wear hakama's and we don't allow them" Sensei Williams replied "That's ok we will practice without our hakama's" The instructor thought for a moment and replied " I still can't allow you to practice as you are a different organisation to us" It was then that Sensei Ellis pushed forward and said "Organisations are names on paper, Aikido is Aikido", The instructor was having none of it and politely asked us to leave. We were not happy at this, so we then went into a nearby pub, after about one hour who should come inrepparttar 132952 pub; you guessed it Dave, allrepparttar 132953 students andrepparttar 132954 instructor. We got chatting torepparttar 132955 students and they were really nice lads. A big guy who was a 1st kyu maderepparttar 132956 mistake of asking Sensei Ellis what our nikyo was like. He said it was his favourite technique, when he tried it on Sensei Ellis, nothing happened. He made another mistake, he asked Sensei to show him our style, Sensei nearly put him intorepparttar 132957 pub cellar. The brown belt guy couldn't believe this and asked his teacher who was now talking with Sensei Williams. He told him what had just taken place and insisted that his instructor try to do this technique on Sensei Ellis. Sensei Ellis offered his arm andrepparttar 132958 instructor agreed to try. The instructor could do nothing, then stated "I can not move you because you are makingrepparttar 132959 ARM of STONE, if I also makerepparttar 132960 ARM of Stone I will break your arm like a twig" Sensei Ellis insisted he make his arm of stone, sorepparttar 132961 guy tried and to be honest it was no different torepparttar 132962 first attempt. Then! as he was makingrepparttar 132963 arm of stone, Sensei Ellis picked up a full pint of beer and drunk it in one go whilerepparttar 132964 guy was trying to break his arm! The guy looked gutted.

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