Possible Clues:

• Sailor navigating announced procedure with ropes, going down
• Descending by rope
• Seaman yachting, say, or coming down rope
• Sailor at sea, some say, descending by rope
• Sailor navigating yacht, say, or coming down rope
• Letting oneself down in a bad way, concealing Daisy's illness
• Seaman suitably occupied, say, descending rock face
• Maybe scaling down such a ropy business
• Letting oneself down? That's somewhat ropy