5th
January 2015 Crown
Marina Adelaide
Shaky
Shake Down
Before our sailing around
Australia adventures began, we took Easy Tiger out for several “trial runs” or
“shake downs” as those in the know call them.
Having been parked up in Adelaide
for the best part of six months, we thought that a shake down sail would be a
really good idea.
With the weather gods playing
their part and eager crew in Ian and Sue Sulley, we plotted a course to Port
Vincent. Port Vincent is a small town on the western side of the Gulf of St
Vincent, a 30 nautical mile trip.
Last year during our journey we drew up a checklist of things
to do and check 12 hours before sailing. As we hadn’t been out in so long, the
list proved a handy reminder. We worked our way through the list while it blew 30 knots in the marina. I hoisted our multi purpose sail, Leanne charged everything electrical
and we nervously waited for departure time.
We recently moved from one marina
to the other. On that short trip we found most things we used had suffered from a lack of use. Things like a seized water pump. the Dinghy stopper button and the mast cars on the main sail. This
experience caused great nervousness as we prepared for our shake down sail.
After a fitful night of trying to
sleep, were up with the sun, ready to get going. We were both showing our
nerves though as our guests boarded and the ropes were released.
Fortunately, everything went
according to plan. Even though there was a serious lack of wind, we ambled
along with one motor going about three quarters throttle. Ian rigged a lure and
we trawled our way to Port Vincent. Unfortunately it was to no avail.
5 hours later we arrived at Port Vincent. We found a mooring, tied on
effortlessly and all enjoyed a bbq lunch.
We had planned a couple of nights
on the mooring, but the weather bureau updated their forecast to read 30knots
expected for Port Vincent on the morning we were to return. That would be a bit
boisterous for our shake down sail. The decision was made to return a day
early.
The return leg looked like we
would get a sail in. After a wander around the Port Vincent Markets, we let go
of the mooring and my trusty crew (Ian) pulled up the main sail. Here we found
what we had been dreading. A problem. The reefing lines would not let the sail
all the way up. We sailed with a half a main up and one motor on half throttle. As usual half way back to Adelaide the wind turned into our face and then dropped out completely.
After arriving back in the marina we had a social day. We have two big blow up chairs ( like swimming pool toys) that we blew up and lounged around under neath Easy tiger. Who needs air con. But the elephant in the room all day was waiting. Once again out with the tools to determine the
problem with the reefing lines.
Reefing lines are ropes that
attach to the sail, then end up at the cockpit. As the wind picks up force you
pull these line in to decrease the amount of sail up the mast, therefore
decreasing the speed of the boat and the pressure on the mast and rigging etc…
They are supposed to allow the sail to go all the way up though!
As usual, as my mate Noel would
say, “it starts small but ends up big”. After several hours of staring at the
reefing system I felt that I was trying to solve a brain game puzzle. I worked out that actually the reefing lines seemed too short. But
how could that be? It all worked really well previously.
Then I remembered that I had changed
them at Port Lincoln to different points on the main sail. Whoops. We actually
haven’t used the main sail since then and therefore hadn’t tested the reefing system
out until now. DOH! Off we went to the chandlery to buy more rope.
Our boat maintenance budget was
about to be shot for another week, but that shot became an explosion. Leanne
found a much better pair of binoculars. As Leanne wears glasses and hasn’t been
able to use the pair we had, I, the budget nazi, relented. Out of the chandlery
we staggered with a receipt for $300.
A couple of hours, balancing on
the back of the boat with one foot in the dinghy, desperately trying not to do
the splits, were spent feeding the new rope and the old rope out. Around this
pulley and through that hole and voila new, much longer reefing rope installed.
Now if the wind would relent for
a while, we might be able to have another shaky shake down attempt, with sails that go all the way up, a salt water pump that actually pumps, the new stopper button on the dinghy and very clean mast cars. What's next Easy Tiger?
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| Able bodied and eager guests like Ian are always welcome and put to good use. |
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| As are sociable sailors who drink champagne! |
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| We were all looking for some wind to try this sailing caper! |
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| Port Vincent was a nice spot to "shake it off". |
