9 August 2008 - mainsheet traveller problems

16 nautical miles

A very nice enjoyable and quiet day sailing with Raed, John and Sarah. The water was pretty gentle which is why four up in Galini was possible.

John and Sarah are recently married... you can tell, can't you... cool dudes in sunglasses!

What did happen today was I broke a bulls eye for the line for the mainsheet traveller which meant that the traveller car was difficult to hold in position - the traveller car was over the wrong side of the boat so the main sheet would never bring the boom over the boat. Absolutely no chance of getting close to the wind. This is what actually determined our rather early time for lunch!

When I got back to shore I found I could loop the traveller line around the stern and so we still sailed her in the afternoon. It was good to know, as out on the water I had struggled to work out a good solution - pulling on the cam cleat in a strange direction, which held but I would not have been happy in a blow. Actually I think it should be a very small turning block rather than a bulls eye at the end of the rails, but I cannot afford to replace them yet.

Raed kept hoping for more exciting sailing - by which he meant more wind and bigger waves - he would love to try trapeze and was saying how he would like to do like the French girls in the 470. However, John and Sarah had not sailed before, so this was really just pottering about the bay and staying close to the club, where we went for our lunch. We had been thinking of taking lunch with us, but I found that the cool box was really too big to fit in the boat.


Well, in the way of things there was another award ceremony for the regatta while I was away... yes, a real cup this time. Nickos collected on my behalf and then we had a mini-award ceremony today. I think its the first award I have had in my life for anything at all sporty.

Actually I'm not really that competitive. However, if I do compete I like to win. Very, very much want to win. But generally I prefer not to compete in the first place. That way we are all winners. It's because I like all to win that I don't want to compete... and change personality to this 'I want to win' character who I don't really like. Daniel, my son, takes it one stage further - he likes other people to win and tries to help the opposition... except at board games, where he tries to let others win and somehow ends up winning himself!

I met a new member - Sheila - she has an 18 foot motor boat. She thought someone had siphoned out fuel, but Raed and I opened her tank and found that it was just the fuel gauge stuck! There is no tractor at the club, so later we helped her move her boat to her place on the hard. Not sure what would have happened otherwise.