One thing about weird happenings: they always come in threes. So, I had already almost taken out the rear of a catamaran. (Not to mention the entire port side of Journey)
I should explain my loss of control for our non-sailing friends. If the current is going the same direction as the boat, but at a faster speed than the boat, there is no control at the rudder. I got the same feeling you would skidding the car on an ice patch; you turn but nothing happens other than to continue in the original direction of travel.
So, that being said, let's see what fun was yet in store for us. We pulled around to the slip that we'd been assigned. The dock master was there to grab our lines and pull us back against the current so we would be facing into the wind for the coming blow. ( it's uncomfortable to have a 25-35 knot wind howling right into the cabin.)
Al needed to get to starboard to attach a bow line to a piling, so the dock master gave the boat a healthy shove off the dock. He slipped, kicked against the port upper lifeline AND IT PARTED. You need to know that we count on those lines to keep us onboard if we fall or loose balance as we go forward. We had just replaced them for this trip. We had done the crimping at West Marine with their BIG DOG crimper, so we could feel secure that they were done right. THIS ISN"T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN! Can you tell I was upset about this? Al spent the last two days re-doing them all with the small hand crimper we bought "just in case". Now I feel better, since a comparison of the old crimps and the new, show a definite improvement.
We hunkered down for bed on Saturday night. The wind was howling, we were rocking even in the slip, and it was cold. We ran the propane heater for the first time on the trip. I felt I had just dropped off when Al hit my feet and said "UP! Now! We've lost a line!"
I leapt up and out of the cabin, saw Al was going forward. Journey was skewered to the right. The change in the boat's motion had woken him. The left line was on the boat, but trailing in the water instead of keeping us in place. I pulled us over to the pier with the spring line (thank goodness for those!) and leapt up onto the dock and forward to catch the line from Al. I secured it and went around the dock, checking ALL the lines, as Al was doing the same on the boat.
I came back onboard and we went below. My feet were frozen. I had been barefoot in a cold rain, and I was grateful for the heaters warmth. We slept well for the remainder of the night. Our third weird thing was a thing of the past.