The feeling of taking hold of the rope is slightly different when your feet are in the wet sand (as opposed to the dry dock) ...  being on "terra firma" is taken for granted... it is only when you've been on the water for long stretches of time that you realize the subtle difference of the earth's stability versus the constant motion of being on the sea...it is an interesting feeling as the body adapts back to the comfort of the absolute firmness of the earth beneath one's feet...