The joys of small boats

[Mirage35]

Or, stuff that we can't get away with on our cruising sailboats:

Was out today with a friend on a nearby lake with his 18' trailerable (a bit over 2 feet draft). We read the chart wrong (okay, maybe forgot to check the chart) and got a little too close to an island. What does it mean again when the chart has a number "1" and the letter "R" next to it?

So, with the keel bouncing on the bottom we tried a few things to get to deeper water, but to no avail. I removed the rudder (leaning out of the back of the cockpit to do it) and my friend went down the swim ladder and started pushing the boat in the right direction. Seemed to help a bit but still stuck.

A small power boat approached and we asked for help; I suggested that they could take a halyard and try to pull us sideways, heeling the boat and moving it in the right direction. They said "happy to help" and, while I was getting the halyard ready, one of them got out of his boat and walked over to join us.

At that point, with two of them in the water on the end of the halyard, rocking the boat while I worked the outboard, we managed to slowly move out. I motored out, the two guys walked back to the other boat, and they delivered my friend once we were in deeper water.

I had forgotten how much fun smaller boats can be, and getting away with silliness like this is part of it.