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Our cover photo with a huge Union flag flying after yesterday’s win. Ralswick is about as near to the centre of Rugan as you can sail to, another 20 NM trip. It’s a great place to sail as the distances are all quite small and the seas flat. On route here you have to follow the narrow dredged channels, we were sailing under our Genoa only doing about 3 knots, we had just passed a pair of bouys and were just getting our mainsail up when I noticed we weren’t moving, a quick check of the instruments confirmed we were aground in only 1 M of water, we need 1.5 to float. I quickly dropped all sail and tried to reverse out but we were stuck, over the last few days we had seen 2 other yachts stuck in the mud and now the chilling thought was could we escape or would the very expensive lifeboat be needed. We left the engine running flat out in reverse and all went to the front to try and release it, but to no avail. There are various ways to try and get out that was the first, tried and failed. I next thought about rowing an anchor out to deep water and winching ourselves out but first we swung the helm over so we were heading to deep water, engaged forward drive and a combination of rocking the wheel from side to side and the crew doing there best to rock the boat from side to side she gradually became free from the gripping mud.
Ralswick is famous during the summer months for its festival, Störtebeker Festival. Störtebker was Germany’s most famous Pirate. The event takes place in grounds of a castle, there is a purpose made grandstand in front of a huge stage with the sea as a background, they use 4 half size pirate ships to create the battles, there are horses pulling carts and carriages, horseback riders. Battles re-enactments with people falling from high buildings. There must be over 100 actors and staff. The auditorium held 10,000 people and was almost full on a Monday evening. John and Marieanne left us from here by taxi to the local train station
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