As soon as Wally had gone, looking for a less deflated tender, I tied the opposite grab handles together to keep the rips above water and gingerly motored to the beach.вЂќ Wally the walrus returnsДЄ couple of hours later the boat owner had almost finished his repairs when he needed more PVC fabric from the boat to strengthen the somewhat challenging beach-side fix. вЂњIn went the tusks for grip, and down went the tube, with two tears up to 200mm! Luckily the tears were above the waterline. вЂњThe prospect of a rest in a comfy rib was just too tempting for Wally,вЂќ he told me. ThereвЂ™s no better way to lift the spirits than a bracing dip! IвЂ™ve been cold water swimming in Dorset forвЂ¦ Thinking it was better to be safe than sorry we hauled our tender up into our davits and looked across the water with interest. Boat owners were in their cockpits scanning the water, and most dinghies that could be hoisted onboard had been. The chap seemed perfectly rational and there was a general sense of unease emanating from the other boats. I suggest you get yours out of the water as soon as you can!вЂќ вЂњItвЂ™s trying to get onboard the dinghies. We were surprised to see the owner of a neighbouring boat hurrying towards us in his tender, with a somewhat concerned look on his face. Returning in the afternoon, we picked up the dinghy off the beach and motored back to Thea, well replete, and looking forward to a doze in the sunshine. Once we had settled to our anchor that morning, we trooped ashore in the dinghy to meet up with friends for a bite of lunch at Carn Vean cafГ©, one of our favourite haunts. We were in Porthcressa, St MaryвЂ™s, onboard our motorboat Thea, with around 15 other boats in this glorious anchorage вЂ“ a comfortable number in the steady offshore breeze. Wally the Walrus pays a visit to Tom and LorraineвЂ™s boat.

Wally boat