The crash never came. The Goblin turned slowly in the tide, missed the heavy metal buoy by half a metre, and moved past it into the fog.
Oh John, cried Susan. What can we do?
John knew he had to decide quickly. We can't go on like this. We might hit the next buoy. We've got to put up the sails. Then we can steer.
But would Jim want you to do that?
It's the only thing to do. We're helpless, drifting like this. We've got to put up the sails.
From the cockpit they watched John climb carefully along the deck and put up the sails. It wasn't easy.
John had done it only once before, with Jim Brading, But the other helped with the ropes and in the end the sails went up quite smoothly. Soon the Goblin was sailing and John hurried back to take the tiller
Now, we've got to miss the shoals, he said.