Coincidence or Fate?

[longjohnsilver]

A friend, Chris, in the Exe sold his motorsailor recntly and the weekend before last accompanied the new owner and his wife to Dartmouth where he left them to sail on to Plymouth and their home port of Calstock.

When Chris bought the boat quite a few years back it was from the widow of the previous owner. On board he found this chaps Bretton style cap, and for some reason decided it should not be taken off the boat, so it was used as a cover for the compass and remained there until he sold it. He also did not change the boats name.

last week he had a letter from the wife of the new owner to say that on entering the Tamar they said a few prayers and despatched this cap to the deep, with the added intention of changing the boats name. 6 miles later they tied up safely at Calstock and went home.

The next day the new owner was back on board and went to help someone having their boat lifted out of the water. As he was helping he looked down and at his feet was the very same cap he'd thrown overboard 6 miles away the previous day. There was no mistaking it.

Now they have decided not to rename the boat and the cap has been washed and now is back sheltering the compass.

Coincidence or fate?

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[Tiger Rag]

I hope I can get this reply in before the dozens of tidal experts start harping on about flow rate, direction of current, state of tides etc etc, I LOVE stories like this true or not!

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[longjohnsilver]

Well it is true that the boat was sold with the cap and that the new owners wrote the letter to my friend, don't see any reason to disbelieve what they said in the letter, so I guess in my book it's all true.

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[Tiger Rag]

Sorry I can type quicker than I can think I meant to say I LOVE stories like this whether they are coincidence or not.

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[hlb]

Take no notice of Long Johns waffles. He'll be telling fantastic stories about giant lobsters and crabs next!!

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Haydn

 

[ccscott49]

I always thought crabs walked sideways, until I met you.

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[extravert]

Here's another for you then, no Breton caps, but just as unlikely to happen.

We had anchored off Lundy for the night, and on one of the dinghy trips back from the pub to the boat in the dark, the dinghy pump went for a swim. We didn't find it that night. As anyone who's been there knows, the tide fairly wooshes around Lundy, and we assumed the pump was on its way to Bristol fairly quickly.

The next day, mirror calm, we left, motored up the east coast of Lundy and on towards Milford Haven, when a few miles north of Lundy we nearly ran over a small floating object, unmistakeably our lost pump.

<hr width=100% size=1>Adventures of the VAT unpaid <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.xrayted.fsnet.co.uk>Teddy Bear Boat</A>

 

[tcm]

Re: Another one for Russell

Last year we set sail from Nice in the south of france which I had first visted in 1972. My father had visited the same port exactly 20 years earlier than that, and whilst he was there he had lost his uncle's very distinctive rucsac. From Nice, we went to Corsica, Balearics, Barcelona, and back to Nice. Then we flew back on Easjet to England and guess what? - the car was in exactly the same place as I had parked three weeks earlier! Weird eh?!

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[ccscott49]

Re: Another one for Russell

Now that really is weird! I've parked my car, gone on the razzle and never found it again!! I actually had one nicked, but couldn't tell the police where I'd left it, very embarrasing, they found the car before I knew it was missing!!

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[Sybarite]

I was on the Glénan Islands this week-end and, in the confusion of getting others into the dinghy, left my beech bag behind - with camera, phone, credit cards etc.

I only noticed this several hours later on reaching Concarneau. I telephoned through to the diving school and the secretary went along the beach and found it at the water's edge on a rising tide.

I reckon this is (with all the day trippers) almost as amazing as your story, or maybe I am just getting past it.

John

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[tcm]

No! It\'s a Coincidence

The coincidence being that you AND lots of others (especially longjohn) are getting past it! I mean, you left the beach bag on the beach and gasp there it was later. Gosh. And someone else chucks his hat in the water, and gasp there it is in the water the next day.

I'm afraid I am looking for far more coincidental stuff than that. I'd like the two shoes that I lost at west wittering ten years ago to be brought along by two different seagulls on two christmas eves to my office address at midday, please.

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[Gunfleet]

Re: Another one for Russell

You need a top box full of old bits of yachting gear. It's how I find mine.

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[longjohnsilver]

b#####d!

From the photos of the Hamble meet looks to me like you were well past it, are you sure you didn't lose both your shoes there. I found at least one washed up at Exmouth yesterday, sent off by seagull post c.o.d.

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[jwatson]

Snagged on the anchor chain.

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