Our cruising buddies on Wildgoose and Hobnob suggested we head for Taylor's Creek and as readers will know, that's where we are.

It's very pretty and sheltered with moored boats along the edges of the creek.

When there's moorings around, especially in murky water I usually like to use a trip line. So, nicely anchored, trip line bobbing up and down ahead of us in the tide we headed off to our first night of sound, uninterrupted sleep in 8 days.

02:00 and one of the halyards was lightly and occasionally knocking on the mast. So, I lay there wondering if I could ignore and get back to sleep or if I had to get up. After ten minutes I surrendered and got up.

As I emerged into the cockpit I thought, "oops, that guys pretty close". I then realised he was getting closer and at quite a rate.

ANNNNNNNE.

Stumbling about in the dark, in shock from a disturbed deep sleep Anne switched on the engine just in time for us to reverse away from an imminent collision.......just in time to set up for the next imminent collision as we were sluiced down tide through the moored boats.

We just about made it. Forward, backward...engine screaming we tried to squeeze around the next boat. Anne was dashing around in the dark, in her knickers, frantically tying on fenders. We almost made it had our chain not caught on the next boats mooring ball. Consequently, we ended up neatly rafted and for the moment, secure. All we had to do was untie the mess.

Which we couldn't.

We hauled out all the chain, buoyed it and chucked it over the side. £1,200 anchor and 250ft of chain now hanging from some guys mooring.

Re-anchored on our Fortress we went back to sleep.

Up at 6am to work at slack water we had two hours of hauling, tugging, kicking screaming until we got it all back.

What had happened was that, paranoid as I am, I'd locked the dinghy to the back of the boat. When the tide turned, as the heavy wire strip was hanging down in the water it neatly hooked our trip line. Once the tide got running it was enough to lift the anchor and off we went.

Now, about that camper van.....