> One of the
> tricks a number of us have used to get us home when the clutch cable has
broken
> is to just shift without clutching. Works better if the synchros are
healthy,
> but if you're in good practice, you can do it even if they're worn. The
trick,
> of course, is the start from stopped.

Actually, the trick is to get home without stopping at all :-) -- you've got
to roll all the stop signs and avoid uphill traffic lights at all costs.

The shifting part is not that hard, you accelerate, let off the gas
simultaneously with pulling the transmission into neutral, then hold the
shifter semi-firmly against the next gear's gate, and then blip the
throttle. At the precise point where the gears match each other in speed,
it will almost snatch the shifter out of your hand and "suck" it into the
next gear. Same technique downshifting. Just don't stop rolling!