I am currently playing Escape from Monkey Island, the only game of the series I originally missed, and I'm stuck in the swamp on Lucre island.
Now, before you start thinking "there's another idiot who can't figure out a simple set of instructions", I'm not stuck because I can't figure out what to do next, but because the game won't let me do it. To be more precise, once on the raft, Guybrush is totally unable to do actions like reaching in his inventory or talking to himself (:D). He just sticks the paddle in the mud then reaches down and picks it up again, in a continuous cycle.
This bug has been mentioned a few times before on this forum in late 2000, but the solution is pointed out to be in a thread of "Hints and Strategies" I seem totally unable to find and suspect has since been removed from the forum.

Would someone please help me with this problem? (Either by pointing me in the direction of the missing tips and tricks thread or by providing me with a solution)
Thank you in advance.