Sea Sett on the reef

I was dozing in my bunk after lunch. Often I turn the VHF radio off but it had been quiet today so had not bothered. We have had a lot of kids in the anchorages and they arrange their complicated social lives on the radio, mostly with impeccable radio protocol. But they have started to migrate North so as I said the radio is much quieter.

Anyway it bursts into life and a paniced voice announces sans protocol" I am on the reef. I need help. Can anyone come with their dinghies?". I grab the handheld and some rope and head to the reef.

Fortunately Sea Sett was not too hard aground although the sounds of the keel grinding on the coral was quite audible as the swell rocked the boat from side to side.

I sounded around the boat to establish the best route off the reef and unusually it was not backwards but forwards. A masthead halyard was deployed to heel the boat and with a bit of huffing and pulling she came off. Luckily I think there will be no damage but the spade rudder on this model is very vulnerable so needs checking.

I wonder if this was another GPS/chartplotter aided grounding. Not the ideal time for eyeball navigation.

Back at Elephants Child Dizzy was waiting for me. I get ticked off if I am away twice in one day.