My O’Day 322 is about 38 years old. Always sailed on the Great Lakes, stored indoors for many years of her life (but not in the last 12 years). I have owned her for 12 years, and we sail in challenging weather all season long. In the past few weeks, I have been out in 8 foot seas and 20 knots of wind. I was in 25 knots True wind the other day while trying to do a single-hand challenge sail (100 nm in 24 hours). But I take Tally Ho out in all sorts of crazy weather.
Today, I went out for a Labor Day sail. East winds about 10-12 knots. Seas about 2-3 feet. Not an uncomfortable sail at all. I was tinkering with my AP and tightening the belt tension a little as it was slipping when out in 18 knots yesterday. Got it dialed in just right and was letting AP handle the helm duties. A lovely sail looking at the Chicago skyline to the north and at about 10 miles out, I was about ready to tack for home.
But before I tack, something POPS at the front of the boat, the furler starts slamming around inside of the bow pulpit and the backstay goes slack! In my mind, I knew it was something with the forestay, but I wasn’t sure what happened. I made my forward enough to see that the furler drum is banging around, the jib is a mess and I need to do something FAST. Luckily, the winds are pretty light at 10 knots.
I get back to the cockpit and drop the main halyard. The sail doesn’t fall all the way down into the Mack Pack because we are not pointed into the wind, but it did drop some. Next, I turn my attention to the jib. With the furler out of commission, what do I do with the jib? My first thought is to try and pull it onboard and wrap a line around it to try and keep it around the stay. But that didn’t really work.
Dropping the jib is the logical thing to do, but Tally Ho has an older CDI furler, which uses an internal wire halyard, and a shuttle car that gets pinned to the foil. Very difficult to raise or lower the sail…but since I only do it 2x per year, I put up with it…. But now, I need to drop the jib! So down in the cabin to grab some tools. It takes some work, but I finally get the pin out, and the sail comes down about 4 feet, but then gets stuck. Loooking up, I see the foil is a bit kinked and curled since the stay is slack. I can’t get the sail down at this point.
I turn my attention to the securing the furler drum, since it is still banging around inside of the bow pulpit, and banging down on the deck. Every time the wind puffs, the furler lifts, bangs around and falls hard back on the deck. I grab a spare dock line, head forward again and secure the line around the anchor roller, through an eye on the furler drum and back down to the anchor roller and then back to a bow cleat. Pulling hard, I put as much tension in the stay and furler as I could….not tight, but it kept the drum from banging around so much and added at least a little support to keep the mast from falling aft.
Then to my surprise, I looked at the foil and the jib was 1/2 way down! I pulled and it came all the way down to the deck!
Now we are getting somewhere… but we are still heading away from the marina. So, with the jib down on the deck, and the furler somewhat secured and providing a little support for the mast, I decide it is time to start the motor and start a slow ride back to the marina. The seas are 3-4 feet now, and I decide to bring the main halyard forward to the anchor roller and then tightened it on the winch.
The mast looked surprisingly stable (my biggest fear was it would fall aft and that would be that). I motored in the bouncy seas, and kept a close eye on the shrouds, back stay and halyard securing the mast from the bow.
I got Tally Ho back to the marina and got a close look at the failure point…very surprising to me!
I am not sure what this strap is called…
but it continues up and ties into the stay…
but it broke very cleanly…
Ironically, I had gotten an estimate from our local boat yard to unstep the mast and replace the standing rigging this winter. I hadn’t committed yet, but after this warning, I am more inclined to make the investment.
This whole thing could have been a lot worse…if it happened in 8 foot seas, or 25 knots of wind, or if the mast came down in a hurry!
Tomorrow I hope to get the stem fitting strap (both pieces) off the boat and to find a machine shop to fab a new one. With that, I could secure the mast for the winter. Or I can take it to the boat yard to have the rigging replaced…either way, the strap needs to be replaced.
But I think my sailing season with Tally Ho is over for this year.
But hey, I sailed 54 days this summer, so I can’t complain too much.
Greg
Today, I went out for a Labor Day sail. East winds about 10-12 knots. Seas about 2-3 feet. Not an uncomfortable sail at all. I was tinkering with my AP and tightening the belt tension a little as it was slipping when out in 18 knots yesterday. Got it dialed in just right and was letting AP handle the helm duties. A lovely sail looking at the Chicago skyline to the north and at about 10 miles out, I was about ready to tack for home.
But before I tack, something POPS at the front of the boat, the furler starts slamming around inside of the bow pulpit and the backstay goes slack! In my mind, I knew it was something with the forestay, but I wasn’t sure what happened. I made my forward enough to see that the furler drum is banging around, the jib is a mess and I need to do something FAST. Luckily, the winds are pretty light at 10 knots.
I get back to the cockpit and drop the main halyard. The sail doesn’t fall all the way down into the Mack Pack because we are not pointed into the wind, but it did drop some. Next, I turn my attention to the jib. With the furler out of commission, what do I do with the jib? My first thought is to try and pull it onboard and wrap a line around it to try and keep it around the stay. But that didn’t really work.
Dropping the jib is the logical thing to do, but Tally Ho has an older CDI furler, which uses an internal wire halyard, and a shuttle car that gets pinned to the foil. Very difficult to raise or lower the sail…but since I only do it 2x per year, I put up with it…. But now, I need to drop the jib! So down in the cabin to grab some tools. It takes some work, but I finally get the pin out, and the sail comes down about 4 feet, but then gets stuck. Loooking up, I see the foil is a bit kinked and curled since the stay is slack. I can’t get the sail down at this point.
I turn my attention to the securing the furler drum, since it is still banging around inside of the bow pulpit, and banging down on the deck. Every time the wind puffs, the furler lifts, bangs around and falls hard back on the deck. I grab a spare dock line, head forward again and secure the line around the anchor roller, through an eye on the furler drum and back down to the anchor roller and then back to a bow cleat. Pulling hard, I put as much tension in the stay and furler as I could….not tight, but it kept the drum from banging around so much and added at least a little support to keep the mast from falling aft.
Then to my surprise, I looked at the foil and the jib was 1/2 way down! I pulled and it came all the way down to the deck!
Now we are getting somewhere… but we are still heading away from the marina. So, with the jib down on the deck, and the furler somewhat secured and providing a little support for the mast, I decide it is time to start the motor and start a slow ride back to the marina. The seas are 3-4 feet now, and I decide to bring the main halyard forward to the anchor roller and then tightened it on the winch.
The mast looked surprisingly stable (my biggest fear was it would fall aft and that would be that). I motored in the bouncy seas, and kept a close eye on the shrouds, back stay and halyard securing the mast from the bow.
I got Tally Ho back to the marina and got a close look at the failure point…very surprising to me!
I am not sure what this strap is called…
but it continues up and ties into the stay…
but it broke very cleanly…
Ironically, I had gotten an estimate from our local boat yard to unstep the mast and replace the standing rigging this winter. I hadn’t committed yet, but after this warning, I am more inclined to make the investment.
This whole thing could have been a lot worse…if it happened in 8 foot seas, or 25 knots of wind, or if the mast came down in a hurry!
Tomorrow I hope to get the stem fitting strap (both pieces) off the boat and to find a machine shop to fab a new one. With that, I could secure the mast for the winter. Or I can take it to the boat yard to have the rigging replaced…either way, the strap needs to be replaced.
But I think my sailing season with Tally Ho is over for this year.
But hey, I sailed 54 days this summer, so I can’t complain too much.Greg