The coat was grubby (if you could see grub against a muddy waxed green) from hauling in his boat to dry land. Hubby pulled his coat out of the washing machine where it had rested for about half an hour with the machine set on a mild wash with little or no spin.
What surprise and delight to find the coat had come out of the drum dry, even the fleecy lining felt very dry. 
The digital timer on the machine showed 35 minutes. The answer to the riddle of the dry coat was clear; the machine though automatic up to a point, hadn't been instructed by the press of a button, to wash.
