Yesterday, late morning, went out the marina for a short sail knowing my time would be limited by approaching rain. It was just me and I hanked on the Genoa without delay, pulled off the sail cover on the main, put away the anchor and chain I'd left out to dry on the foredeck, cast off, and headed out to the river. Now, I always check around for other boats because I don't like to meet traffic in the confined area by the slips. I saw just the sails of a boat over the top of the breakwater, with full sail up, heading downstream. I thought maybe they were trying to sail into the harbor, which isn't a good idea and which isn't allowed under the terms of our slip agreements. They passed the harbor entrance and continued and so I went about my business and backed out of the slip and around the corner and out onto the river.
By then, the boat I had seen was quite a ways downstream, over the top of the reef just downriver from the harbor. The water was so high that didn't matter much but it seemed quite unusual for a sailboat to be in that area. It looked like they were headed for a dock at one of the houses along the bank. I motored over that way to investigate.
As I got closer, it became clear that the boat was out of control and had been blown into shore. She was an O'Day of about 22' length. The captain was trying to douse sail as the mast and rigging slapped against the branches of some large oak trees on the bank. I carefully motored in and asked the man if he would like a tow. He said that he would.
Being singlehanded, I set the motor in reverse and pointed the stern into the wind so Bridget would stay in place, then ducked below to grab the 75' swim line -- as yet unused -- that I got as a precaution for situations where we are anchored and swimming in current. Went up to the foredeck and heaved the line, missed, tried to grab the bitter end since I hadn't cleated it off, missed, watched as the line sank into the Mississippi never to be seen again. Went down below, grabbed the anchor line, undid it from the anchor chain, cleated one end off (having learned my lesson), and clipped the other to a boat cushion. By now I was drifting perilously close to the oak branches myself and had to go back to the helm and apply some more reverse and maneuver back into position. Other boats were starting to show up. Went forward, heaved, missed, retrieved the line, heaved again, got the line on the foredeck of the disabled boat.
The fellow on the other boat got the line tied off to his bow cleat and I looped part of it around one of the jibsheet winches and cleated it off, then carefully and slowly reversed out. His rigging pulled free of the branches, and we were off of the lee shore. I turned around so we could proceed forward and towed him out towards the main channel with the mighty 8hp Yamaha that is my auxiliary.
Tried to raise the marina on the radio, no answer. I thought maybe if someone was helping out on the dock I could just pull him straight in. After a couple more calls I gave up.
Now that we were safely out in deep water and away from shore, I asked the other fellow whether he wanted me to tie up alongside so I could tow him in all the way to the dock, or if he just wanted me to continue with the line between us and 50' separating the boats, which didn't allow for much fine control. He said he wasn't sure and was new at all this. Turns out he has a slip at the same harbor I do. Absent a response on the radio (and therefore being unable to count on anyone meeting us at the dock) I decided to bring him alongside, and tie up so we could go in two abreast. Made sure the fenders were out, got docklines, tied the boats together, and slowly made our way into the harbor, where I was able to deposit him at his slip. He thanked me and said he owed me at least one round of drinks.
I'm unsure of the whole sequence of events that led to him being pinned on a lee shore, but a good deal of the problem was that his outboard motor wouldn't start. He also said he had only been sailing for 3 months, and didn't have a radio.
Wished him fair winds, untied the boats from each other, went back out onto the river for a (now very brief) sail. Got some kind words from one of the boats that had watched the whole thing as I motored out. Sailed across the river, tacked, turned downwind, got back to the harbor, doused sail, motored in. I was putting everything away when the captain of one of the other boats that had watched the whole thing came over. He said, "Now I know how it is done." I thanked him for the compliment and he said that his wife had been trying to get him to help but that didn't have any lines longer than his 25' docklines and had never towed a boat before, and wasn't sure what to do.