There comes a time in every sailors life (or so we've been told) that one must run aground.  For us, that time was this morning.

To run aground is just how it sounds- you simply get stuck on the ocean floor when there is not enough water (or no water) between your keel, your rudder and the bottom.  We draw only 3"11, which is probably why we've managed to avoid it for this long, but alas, every dog has it's day.

We were looking for boat storage for when we come back to work during hurricane season.  We found a potential spot and were sailing past the dock to show the owners our boat to see if they could accommodate us.  Matt was trying to talk to the fellow on the dock and I was trying to steer the boat a little closer so they could have a decent conversation. A little too close, in hindsight.  All of a sudden I lost the ability to steer, and came to an abrupt halt.  Both our keel and our rudder were lodged in the mud. We looked at each other and realized simultaneously that it was a falling tide and over the next five hours things could only get worse.

We would still be there now, if it weren't for the help of two good samaritans and their dinghy (with a motor bigger than our boat's). They pushed on our bow and managed to help us on our way. Ahhhh, I LOVE people!