Azores or Bust

Racing, not successful :-(. I came last in two race only avoided last place in the other race because another boat missed a mark. On the up side, I think I would have been more competitive with the engine stowed and the cockpit plug in. Also, I managed two spinnaker runs. The first was very successful, the second had mixed results. I managed to trap the spinnaker sheet in the genoa furling when I furled the jib, this resulted in a lot of drifting around but nothing major. During the run I kept up with a faster boat, the one that I collided with! The collision was was a combination of my inexperience and the other boat's fault. Anyway, new nav light and bow roller repair have been added to the job list. Mischief doesn't do well in light airs with the engine in the cockpit BUT in light airs I need the engine available in case a ship comes along. Steering system, while the wind wasn't suitable for making progress being light airs and variable direction I did get the vane set...

A break through on the self steering, it works. I managed about 30 mins upwind and used the system to tack the boat which was a massive relief. I was beginning to think that it was a lemon. I then managed 30 mins down wind and it held the course +/- 10 degrees which is fine. Next I need to finalise the develop rig as there are multiple adjustment devices that need to be made static. The next day there were a couple of races so I and a friend who has just got his boat back in commission after a 2 year refit join in. We both thoroughly enjoyed it and finished mid order in both races.

We took part in our first race a couple of weekends ago. The local clubs on the River Medway have a fairly full racing calendar and Mischief and I needed some sailing time so we joined in with the Red Sands Race. This is a 28nm course and usually takes in excess of 7 hours to complete We came last on elapsed time but 2nd last out of 5 on handicap. Everyone finished within 5 hours and we all spent the majority of the race at hull speed with a northerly force 4 / 5 wind putting us on a beam reach. More racing next weekend and I won't be so timid now it looks like the mast step is fixed.

Had a reasonable sail over the weekend, due to various things I got going on Sunday and the force 6 easterly and cooler weather meant I only made it to Stangate Creek. The mast step seems to have stood up well; the rig remained tensioned and the internal measurement hadn't changed. Less positive was the pool of oil under the outboard so everything was done under sail which actually worked very well. The other set back was the halyard winch which let go under tension! Hopefully a bigger and thicker washer will fix the problem.

A great couple of days working on the mast step. Time will tell if this has worked but it looks good so far. A fuller account is given in the page 'Mast Step Repair'.

Just totted up the costs so far and I have spent as much on ebay as I did on the boat. I expect that the final figures will be 1/3 on the boat, 1/3 on the refit and 1/3 on key equipment (life raft, batteries etc).

A good friend of mine is very craft capable, he taught woodwork and still helps a group once a week. He and I both like whales, he prefers sperm whales (his boat is called Ishmael) and I prefer hump back whales after my encounter with them in 2017. I asked him if he could etch a design into some brass so here is my design. My friend has made me a tie dye pennant and I am considering a T shirt.