Skipper's Log #7
30 25N 56 30W @ 22:00GMT
It has been a slow day, after a long night. Frustrated by not being able to use the bowsprit, I decided not to wait till morning to tackle the problem, but to use the light of moon. Came up with the idea of using a web strap around the eye bolt on the bottom of the bow and instead of spreading the loads from two points, just using one. This eyebolt is at water line level and my arms are not long enough. I had option of going overboard into the water to set it up. I have a rule about going overboard in any circumstances. It is once overboard singlehanded means death! I was not taking the risk of being in the water, even if strapped on, and the boat drifting off and I can't pull myself back aboard. The only other option was to find a way to extend my arms, but how would I tie the knots. One of my sail ties is webbing with an eye sown in. I have stick on boat to measure how much fuel I have in my tank. This stick pushed into the web eye would reach down and through eyebolt. It took several tries, but worked. Then it was to get the webbing back. All this was done lying flat on my belly hanging over bow, sailing with water bubbling up to elbows. Eventually I got both ends of the webbing and wove the eye through, securing the other end to the block of the bowsprit and back in business. There was a bit more breeze than what my light spinaker is rate for. Decided to use the heavier asymmetric spinaker which over 1000 supporters have signed. I helmed once it was set. After several hours driving, for a few minutes I lost concentration and came to the wind. Suddenly the spinaker started to rip and continued ripping down the seams, landing its belly in the water, ripping it more. I managed to retrieve all the pieces, covered in signatures. Had the breeze been westerly at the start, I had hoped to depart using this sail. Now it is going to take the generous work of a sailmaker to fix it, and hope that the cost is not more than a replacement. I set my orange spinaker and resumed helming through the night with the CD player booming away John lee Hooker, Queen, U2. I must have driven for about 6 hours in the moonlight. I can't carry a spinaker under autopilot in these conditions, so took it down and napped. This am the breeze improved so I sailed with genoa. I was planning to have curry today as a reward for a good week. When dinnertime came, I could not remember where the curry was stowed. I looked in a couple of places, then decided to call Gwen and ask her. So it will be her home made curry tomorrow, now that I know where to look. What would I do without Gwen!! I was filling my evening voice report for the AA website, when abruptly I had to break away with a problem on deck. I broke a guy on the spinaker pole and the genoa which was poled out went flying free. 5 minutes later we were back in business.

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