2012 08 13
Milopotamos Bay, Ios, Greece
Things could be a lot worse of course.
Leaving our lovely deserted anchorage at Kalandos Pt on the south side of Naxos Island this morning we needed to tack the headsail. Wind was blowing about 8 knots but we were leaving the east - west straight between Naxos and the small group of islands to its south and entering the straight between Naxos and Paros which runs North/South.
It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out there was going to be a wind shift and in our case the shift was going to require that we reset the genoa from starboard tack to port.
On Meredith we usually tack or gibe the headsail by furling it in all the way in on the tack it is on and then pulling it out on the side of the tack we want. It is just easier for us.
Today as I was pulling in the furling line the whole rig tightened and jammed. Thinking it was just a gust of errant wind that had given the sail a pull and tightened it up on me I looked up and when the sail was obviously clear bent to my original task. Bugger. The sail did not want to roll in. It was close to back breaking. Resetting the sail on port tack was typically gentle. It left us hoping nothing was wrong but suspecting the opposite.
When jobs that should be easy are difficult to execute you always look for failed parts. Often enough the failed parts are connected to me: tired muscles or a failed processor.
In this case it was the gear. The Budget Committee put her eagle eye to work and in about half an hour she had found the issue. We had sheared the foil on the forestay. The foil is critical: it is the part into which the sail feeds and which connects the sail to the forestay. It is also the rod through which all the force applied to the furler is transferred to the sail allowing the sail to be rolled up.
The foil on our furler was in two parts: one part connected to the furling drum and the other, longer part connected to the sail. It had been torn apart.
So we are now without a headsail. This is not fatal as we still have a staysail, the smaller sail at the front of our boat and our main and of course the diesel still works. However we are going to have to replace the furler and that will be a problem, given that we live in the land of no stuff.
Also the land of no delivery and no deals.
Friends John and Debbie from London, Ontario have a close connection to the islands and keep their boat on Leros or Kos or one of the other oses near here and we hope they can recommend a yard for repairs.
Most likely we will just limp around Greece going 4 knots instead of six and fix the problem ourelves in the fall when we can arrange delivery.
Still afloat, still having fun, still looking for water.
Milopotamos Bay, Ios, Greece
Things could be a lot worse of course.
Leaving our lovely deserted anchorage at Kalandos Pt on the south side of Naxos Island this morning we needed to tack the headsail. Wind was blowing about 8 knots but we were leaving the east - west straight between Naxos and the small group of islands to its south and entering the straight between Naxos and Paros which runs North/South.
It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out there was going to be a wind shift and in our case the shift was going to require that we reset the genoa from starboard tack to port.
On Meredith we usually tack or gibe the headsail by furling it in all the way in on the tack it is on and then pulling it out on the side of the tack we want. It is just easier for us.
Today as I was pulling in the furling line the whole rig tightened and jammed. Thinking it was just a gust of errant wind that had given the sail a pull and tightened it up on me I looked up and when the sail was obviously clear bent to my original task. Bugger. The sail did not want to roll in. It was close to back breaking. Resetting the sail on port tack was typically gentle. It left us hoping nothing was wrong but suspecting the opposite.
When jobs that should be easy are difficult to execute you always look for failed parts. Often enough the failed parts are connected to me: tired muscles or a failed processor.
In this case it was the gear. The Budget Committee put her eagle eye to work and in about half an hour she had found the issue. We had sheared the foil on the forestay. The foil is critical: it is the part into which the sail feeds and which connects the sail to the forestay. It is also the rod through which all the force applied to the furler is transferred to the sail allowing the sail to be rolled up.
The foil on our furler was in two parts: one part connected to the furling drum and the other, longer part connected to the sail. It had been torn apart.
So we are now without a headsail. This is not fatal as we still have a staysail, the smaller sail at the front of our boat and our main and of course the diesel still works. However we are going to have to replace the furler and that will be a problem, given that we live in the land of no stuff.
Also the land of no delivery and no deals.
Friends John and Debbie from London, Ontario have a close connection to the islands and keep their boat on Leros or Kos or one of the other oses near here and we hope they can recommend a yard for repairs.
Most likely we will just limp around Greece going 4 knots instead of six and fix the problem ourelves in the fall when we can arrange delivery.
Still afloat, still having fun, still looking for water.
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