[Public-List] Canaries, Part2

[Jim Davis]

Now to the sailing part.  

When we joined the boat in Lagos, Sandy inventoried the boat before provisioning.  There was still quite a bit of non perishable food from when she provisioned it last year.  All she had to get was the perishables for the trip to the Canaries, estimated to be six days.  Sandy did wonders in the galley and I think we all gained weight during the trip.  For the trip there five on board; Sandy and I, two schooner captains (friends of ours) and the owner.  We helped with some routine maintenance and preparation for sea.  The watermaker was down and a mechanic hired to repair it.  Also stowed sails that had been in storage since his trans Atlantic last year.  At 1700 on Thursday we departed Lagos with good wind for a broad reach and doing 6.5 knots. The forecast told us that the wind would drop some the next day but pick up again later.  The owner decided that we weren't going fast enough and turned the engine on to maintain 7.2.  We ended up doing what I call "sail enhanced motoring" and using 110 gallons of diesel so we could arrive at 0800 Monday rather than getting there late afternoon same day, or early Tuesday morning.  Immediately on arrival he had a rigger on board and people to re-repair the watermaker (the Lagos factory reps used the parts for a system smaller than he has) and the gooseneck had cracked.  This probably came from his in mast furling and over stretching the clew outhaul by using an electric winch to haul it out.  Because of the motoring and over flattening the sails did a lot of slating - not good for them, the hardware or anything else.  During the passage he spent way too much time glued to the radar and electronics at the chart table.  Side note we were seeing ships and fishing vessels earlier by eyeball than the electronics.  Not only does he have a full electronics suite below, there are two sets of repeaters in the cockpit.  I hate to think of his electric budget.

We got home Tuesday evening and are thinking about where our next adventure will be, but it will not on this boat.



Jim Davis
S/V Isa Lei
CT 35

No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session

Mark Twain