I’m not saying which one I am.
Forecast was for high of 74F, mostly sunny 5-10mph, waves 1-2 feet, just what I like – it was going to be a good day. Weather channel on the VHF reported SE 10kts at the airport which my marina is adjacent to – perfect for the south shore of Lake P – waves should be minimal.
I start out with main only on a close reach, wind and waves are more than forecast but it’s not a problem. I raise the jib and after a while the winds are at the top end of what I‘m comfortable with for full sails. But I expect the winds to slowly let off because the forecast for the evening was 5kts, down from 5-10, so I’m enjoying the windy, wave-crashing ride.
The wind escalates further and is whistling through the rigging. I start to feel a bit overpowered so I drop the jib, easy since I installed a downhaul, and once again I feel under control. I turn on the weather again and they still report 10kts, odd, I thought these were real time reports but my Wind Wizard says 25mph. That’s apparent, but I’m only going 3 kts, so at least 20mph winds. The waves are getting aggressive, I’m 2 hours into the sail, about 2.5 miles from shore and 6 miles down range; I decide to turn downwind for an expected easy ride.
After the downwind turn the main is plastered against the spreaders, so I trim it in so it just off them, I’m making 5kts, nearly hull speed, with following seas, and I’m at last comfortable.
Then I notice a small tear in the main, about 2 inches long, 2 feet above the foot and 2 feet back from the leech. It’s not getting worse, I can patch that after I get in. But that’s nothing, I looked down at the backstay – I could not believe it – it’s completely frayed with only six tiny strands holding it together. Holy Smoke, I need to drop sail now, but I don’t want to turn into the wind and increase stress on the rig, so I head DDW and center the boom by attaching my pig-tail topping lift and pulling the mainsheet in tight. This effectively gives me a temporary backstay, but the sail must come down – so I release the halyard and pull the main down by hand – not that difficult on my boat, but doing all this while the auto-tiller is failing to keep me pointed downwind, and the steep chop threatening to toss me out the boat altogether. Once the main is down I tie the main halyard to the left over end of the jib down haul and tie that off to form a new backstay.
Close call but it’s now safe, except a direct course back home puts me sideways to the short chop – not a good idea, especially with no sails up, so I head into shore first, which puts me no closer home but will give me a better angle to the waves, and the chop should lessen as I approach the windward shoreline, and at about three quarters of a mile offshore the chop subsided considerably.
At this time I would like to thank my 1972 7.5 Mercury 2-stoke; it pushed me thought some pretty heavy chop for over 3 hours like it had nothing better to do, what a great little motor.
So I’m grounded until I repair the backstay and inspect the remainder of the standing rigging, – can’t believe how close I was to losing the mast in that windy choppy mess of a day.
So anyone know a rigging shop they like on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain?
Forecast was for high of 74F, mostly sunny 5-10mph, waves 1-2 feet, just what I like – it was going to be a good day. Weather channel on the VHF reported SE 10kts at the airport which my marina is adjacent to – perfect for the south shore of Lake P – waves should be minimal.
I start out with main only on a close reach, wind and waves are more than forecast but it’s not a problem. I raise the jib and after a while the winds are at the top end of what I‘m comfortable with for full sails. But I expect the winds to slowly let off because the forecast for the evening was 5kts, down from 5-10, so I’m enjoying the windy, wave-crashing ride.
The wind escalates further and is whistling through the rigging. I start to feel a bit overpowered so I drop the jib, easy since I installed a downhaul, and once again I feel under control. I turn on the weather again and they still report 10kts, odd, I thought these were real time reports but my Wind Wizard says 25mph. That’s apparent, but I’m only going 3 kts, so at least 20mph winds. The waves are getting aggressive, I’m 2 hours into the sail, about 2.5 miles from shore and 6 miles down range; I decide to turn downwind for an expected easy ride.
After the downwind turn the main is plastered against the spreaders, so I trim it in so it just off them, I’m making 5kts, nearly hull speed, with following seas, and I’m at last comfortable.
Then I notice a small tear in the main, about 2 inches long, 2 feet above the foot and 2 feet back from the leech. It’s not getting worse, I can patch that after I get in. But that’s nothing, I looked down at the backstay – I could not believe it – it’s completely frayed with only six tiny strands holding it together. Holy Smoke, I need to drop sail now, but I don’t want to turn into the wind and increase stress on the rig, so I head DDW and center the boom by attaching my pig-tail topping lift and pulling the mainsheet in tight. This effectively gives me a temporary backstay, but the sail must come down – so I release the halyard and pull the main down by hand – not that difficult on my boat, but doing all this while the auto-tiller is failing to keep me pointed downwind, and the steep chop threatening to toss me out the boat altogether. Once the main is down I tie the main halyard to the left over end of the jib down haul and tie that off to form a new backstay.
Close call but it’s now safe, except a direct course back home puts me sideways to the short chop – not a good idea, especially with no sails up, so I head into shore first, which puts me no closer home but will give me a better angle to the waves, and the chop should lessen as I approach the windward shoreline, and at about three quarters of a mile offshore the chop subsided considerably.
At this time I would like to thank my 1972 7.5 Mercury 2-stoke; it pushed me thought some pretty heavy chop for over 3 hours like it had nothing better to do, what a great little motor.
So I’m grounded until I repair the backstay and inspect the remainder of the standing rigging, – can’t believe how close I was to losing the mast in that windy choppy mess of a day.
So anyone know a rigging shop they like on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain?
