Mark Knopfler’s PRIVATEERING album playing on one Boom 2. The second Boom 2 joined the dead.
Two tequila and tonics drunk with Mountain House Chicken and Rice for dinner.
Steve, the rigger, repaired the furling gear this morning. Maybe.
Neither he not I could figure out how to get the pin, which is no spring loaded, back in place without disassembling the entire foil. Steve tried to do this, but frozen parts stymied him. So he ground down the pin and drilled and tapped and installed set screws, which he says other brands of furling gears use. I have had Hood and Profurl on other boats but don’t remember. Two set screws below the break in the foil. One above. All reportedly with Loctite applied.
If we ever get to the Pacific and sail for San Diego and you see our Yellowbrick track peel off for Hawaii, it may be because the furling gear has failed. Depending on the nature of the failure, I might be able to set the full jib but not furl it. I also have on board a storm jib that I could set flying. And, if I have any working tiller pilot, the G2 could be set on a reach.
Is this optimum? Of course not, but I am in the third world where optimum is not an option.
If I do reach San Diego I will replace all the standing rigging and the furling gear.
Some work was done on the cradle today. It is not complete. Maybe it will be tomorrow.
The second long delayed tiller pilot has moved from Customs to the delivery agent. Maybe it will be delivered tomorrow. Maybe not.
I rode the shuttle to the supermarket this afternoon.
I will do more provisioning on the Pacific side if I ever get there.
The hardest parts of sailing a boat around the world are not storms at sea.
February 27, Wednesday
I wrote the above last evening, but unable to connect to the Internet in the boat yard have had to wait until this morning to post it.
I tied down the mast this morning. Not having it secured was worrying me. But now that it is, the forward hatch can’t be opened and life aboard is going to be more uncomfortable.
I had thought that the cradle might be finished today, but I no longer do.
The money keeps going out. Men seem to be working. But progress is slow.
I just checked the DHL tracking page. The second tiller pilot has not moved thus far today.
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With the delusion that GANNET and I will some day sail to San Diego I have been downloading GRIBs with LuckGrib from time to time.
Here is a screen shot from yesterday’s that is quite favorable.
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Yesterday Steve and Tom both sent me the image of CHIDIOCK TICHBORNE II that apparently appeared online.
A very pretty boat.
Steve’s arrived first and I did not recognize the location, so I googled Manoel Island Yacht Yard and found it on Malta. We were there in 1983, making our only stop on an east/west sail of the Mediterranean from Port Said, Egypt, after having troubles similar to those I am now experiencing but with the Suez Canal, to Vilamoura, Portugal.
Tom’s email correctly identified the location.
I thank them both.
