Once again the forecast called for outstanding weather on Saturday March 9 so I made plans with my buddy for a day on the boat. All in all it was uneventful but fun - the best kind of day. Unlike last week with David when the wind was a bit hairy and the VHF was full of reports of people running aground, this was the perfect wind. English Bay was once again glassy but I'm not getting fooled by that anymore and we found the forecasted wind just past Point Atkinson. We had good fun playing around off Bowen Island and when we got hungry it was a beautiful downwind run into Howe Sound right up to the entrance to Snug Cove.
 |
| English Bay was like glass as usual but good wind was on the horizon |
Unfortunately we had a bit of a snag. When I went to drop the main, the halyard wouldn't release. The clips that secure the main lines coming into the cockpit are an older type that I had never seen prior to seeing Ge'mara. Neither David or I are huge fans of them but they seemed to be working - until now. We had turned 180 degrees back into the wind under power to get the sails down and now we were slowly motoring further and further away from Sung Cove and my burger and beer while the halyard stubbornly refused to release. I finally went below, fished out a screwdriver from the toolbox and was able to "encourage" the clip to release. As I set about doing this I noticed that the wheel that bites into the line had been scored by something. None of the other clips bore these marks. I realized then that someone before me had been forced into a screwdriver intervention. Likely we'll have to replace the clips - the ability to quickly release the main halyard is not a convenience, it's a safety issue. I'm glad we encountered this on a nice day rather than during a sudden squall when we needed the main down in a hurry.
 |
| The main halyard clip (right) is starting to jam and will need to be replaced |
We got the main down soon enough and enjoyed another great lunch at Bowen Island Pub. Heading back out we were greeted by that same South wind blowing into Howe Sound and we were able to bring Ge'Mara's sails up in record time. We settled into a perfect point of sail for us to round Point Atkinson and head for home. Nothing had changed in English Bay since the morning so we ran out of wind once we came around the point. No matter, it had been a great day. So with the help of the screwdriver I once again released the main halyard and doused the sails. We motored in and enjoyed the view of snow capped mountains against a backdrop of brilliant blue skies. What's not to like?
No comments:
Post a Comment