Didnt go to sea in a rush (8)

I believe the answer is:

remained

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'didnt go' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.

'sea in a rush' is the wordplay.
'sea' becomes 'main' (synonyms).
'in' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'a rush' becomes 'reed' (I've seen this in other clues).
'main' going into 'reed' is 'REMAINED'.

'to' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for remained that I've seen before include "didn't move" , "Stayed put as I meander" , "Was left" , "Stayed behind" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Independent.

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