29 March 2008

5 nautical miles

Windguru forecast didn't look good for the morning but we went down to the club anyhow. The waves looked better than last week, but James was not going to sail his Optimist and his parents were toing and froing about whether to sail. Since they are more experienced than me I would follow their decision, but the wind and waves looked interesting.

While we were waiting we looked at the tracks for the genoa sheets. They are very old and really we cannot move the cars at all - the locking nuts are made of brass and over the years have worn so that to tighten them enough to stop the car sliding its too tight to release and move the cars forward for broad reaches. We'll have to think about this.


They eventually decided on a quick hour round the bay (which turned into two). The conditions were good once you got past the surf and made for great sailing. No pix.

Good fun with the waves and wind. Got some pretty good tows off the waves. Daniel wondered if we could ride waves like surfers do... I'm not sure I would like to try those big Australian waves. A tow than surfed us up to 7 knots was pretty good fun.

The boat was sailing really well. She is so nice to sail this year. Last year she was heavy, now light and really fun.

Daniel wants us to put some of the grip tape that skate-boarders use on the middle thwart. The seat is painted and you slide on it. No problem if you are sitting on it and sliding back and forth, but he tends to sit on the side desk and likes to put his foot there. And then it slides. Obviously if we're hiking out his feet are under the toe strap, but for normal cruising this is un-necessary and so anti-slip on the thwart will be a help.

We haven't solved the water leak. I have no idea really where the water is coming from. Somewhere related to the centreboard case. My only guess is that there is a part of the case near the back of the cockpit which appears to have a double skin and that it might be between the two skins.

However, the self bailers are working very well this year. They empty the water pretty quickly and efficiently. One of my favourite sounds now is to hear the self-bailers sucking air out. The gurling reassures me we have taken out all the water. And they are relatively easy to open and close now. Closing is easier than opening.

But... coming in to the club at the end of the sail, when we brought the main sail down the boom caught in the centreboard uphaul. When I released it to release the boom I forgot to bring the centreboard right up again. Hmmm... and... the launching tolley caught a wheel on the ramp and we had problems with that. Didn't notice the centreboard down and it got a bit chewed up by the concrete ramp. Extra work before we can sail again.

So we had to take out the floorboards... well, shift them somewhat, taking them out would have necessitated taking out the seats and we didn't have the tools for that. Then take out the centreboard pin, and all the ropes for the uphaul/downhaul.