You know what happens to best laid plans?
Well, that was August! I had pretty much every last day of August planned – and most of it involved Clipper. It started quite well, with the first aid course, team building weekend and then the level 3 training all running consecutively.
The rest of the month should have seen me
- back at work for a couple of days;
- travelling back down to Gosport to help with boat preparation;
- participating in the delivery sail of the boats from Gosport round to London ready for the Race Start on 1 September;
- being in the office for the last few days of the month;
- helping out with the final boat preparation in London during the evenings after work.
Calendar August 2013
Life had other ideas.
Because I had hurt my knee.
Because I could hardly walk on it.
In fact after we had deep cleaned the boat and on the way to the nearest cafe for lunch, I was so slow that Paul fetched a luggage trolley and told me to get in it. Then he pushed it the rest of the way.
That night I stayed on board the boat because there was no way I could drive home. However I was glad that, unusually, my car was in Gosport as there was also no way I could have got myself and all my luggage on a ferry, several trains and the tube, not even the next day. As it was I did manage to drive, and on arriving home announced to my boss that I was going to work that day as planned – but from home. Which quickly turned into, “I’m taking this knee to the Minor Injuries unit”.
Having driven there I hobbled in, gave my details and was asked to wait. I’ve no idea how long for. I kept going to sleep! Not only had I been up since 4.30 to come home, this followed a week of 4-hour watch systems on the level 3 course. Once it came to my turn though it was all very quick. I saw a nurse, was sent for an x-ray – by wheelchair so this bit was also quick – and straight back in to see the nurse again.
No bone damage.
No I definitely could not sail again the week after next.
As for working, don’t even try that for a week.
The report that went back to my GP? “Fell off boat”!
The nurse was all for complete immobilisation with a woollen crepe bandage, which would have resulted in muscle wastage and goes against the advice in a leaflet she gave me about how to handle soft tissue injuries. Had she even read the leaflet? I avoided that by asking how I was supposed to drive home. She expressed surprise that I’d driven. I said I’d driven from Gosport that morning.
So, instead of my plan, I had:
- a week signed off work with a doctor appointment – he panicked on receipt of the note that I’d “fallen off a boat”;
- an osteopath appointment;
- a week in the office instead of taking part in the delivery sail;
- the next week helping with the final boat preparation in London – in spite of not being able to walk properly.
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