We spent all morning re-rigging Enee for sailing. Sue has patched the sail cover as best she can and we put that up. We got two prices for repairing it that were both more than we originally paid for it. Keep patching! We made a yoke for dinghy towing. Scott experimented with hauling the 85 pound outboard on deck by himself in preparation for some sailing alone that will happen once Sue returns to Chicago in August. That went. . .not so well. The brute force method (usually my favorite) is not so good. Have to think about a better, safer way. Re-riggin the lazy jacks and reefing lines was truly a test of our memories. We passed (with C's) So everything lashed down as best we remember we're ready to go. The BIG question of course is would the engine drink fuel from the actual fuel tank? It would and it did. Engine is running fine.
Out we go!
We raised the main within Prickly Bay and the jib a little later. Our new jib looks great! It's probably about 110% and the clew comes to just a little past the mast. Our old sail was huge with the clew coming nearly back to the cockpit. This sail is much easier to tack, better shape, easier to roll up, and we expect not much loss in speed due to it's better shape. We'll see. We didn't try to trim sails very hard today. We just tacked a couple of times, looked around and made sure everything was working as we remembered. See, it's bee nearly 2 years since we sailed this boat!
Today was a mild day in the Caribbean with winds probably around 15 knots and seas 4 - 5 feet. And yet, THAT will take some getting used to again when those conditions and more are the norm for a day or two to make a passage.
I'm working with my good friend Kerry on Bellagio as to the wiring for the auto helm. I can't believe that Raymarine is making it as complicated as it seems. All of their instructions are for a boat with multiple Raymarine gadgets that need to 'talk to each other'. I just want their stinking auto pilot to steer the damn boat! We'll see.
So, we're back on our mooring and taking it easy. Our bodies are still getting used to the crawling, climbing, crab-walking that one does on a boat instead of plain old walking. If we're willing to leave without the autopilot, Tuesday could be the day.
Stay tuned!
1 comment:
Sitting on my boat in Harbour Towne Marina, Muskegon Mi on a glorious Sunday morning reading your blog and enjoying your travels again. Great to see you back on your adventures. Safe travels to the two of you. Keep the blogs coming.
Terry
Jaftica - Catalina 387
Post a Comment