How funny I should end my report of yesterday with forecast of light wind in the approach to Torres Strait. As it is I am becalmed since mid day I think. As night came I abandoned all hope of wind: no wind during the afternoon, one short lived squall to get us a little further South, and no wind pick up as night fell. There’s a tiny amount of wind, which I could work with in a flat sea but we’re stuck in swells from multiple directions, which roll the boat, shake the sails, and all but make forward progress in any direction impossible. What else is going on CaB? Well, on the positive side, we fixed the secondary autopilot by swapping two wires (still no idea as to why we had to do this). During the squall, I managed to collect 5 gallons of water off the fold of the first reef. I finished repairing the masthead spinnaker halyard. And since we are becalmed I used the engine to charge the batteries, and the engine started! Now, on the other side, the primary autopilot froze the tiller when disengaged again. A hit with the hammer worked just like last time. I spent the whole afternoon butt naked outside, thinking I was clear of the sun, trying to fix the autopilot and make the boat move. Not so, I have sun burn in many places. But the winner for the day is the boom. I noticed a fracture on the side, where I use the boom downhaul. I’m not sure what to think of it as I thought I was being careful not to apply too much pressure there. I don’t think it was there before. It’s not like I have a spare boom. I’ve asked Cree and Ruben for their opinion. Maybe I can make a fiberglass sleeve to strengthen the area. Regardless, I am marching on. That is, if the wind shows up. In truth, it’s been a bit of a downhill run since Saturday. I don’t feel great about it all. I’m not even through 10% of the distance. Maybe it’s par for the course. Let’s hope it’ll all work out in the end. P.S.: there should be two pictures with this blog post; they may be grouped in a slideshow …
Get a repair on that boom ASAP!…it’s quiet now, now’s your chance!