The forecasts
all seemed ideal for sailing north, downwind, so we set sail from GKI to Pearl
Bay (~50 nm).
Seas were bigger
than we expected as we cleared North Keppel and Pumpkin Islands, bearing in
mind the VMR adage “seas may be larger and winds 40% more than forecast”, and
cruising along at 8 knots, a sudden squall ripped the mainsail along lower
batten below the 2nd reef point then vertically, held only by the
leech.
Peter, in
life jacket and clipped on the jack line, was able to reef down and continue
sailing, but the squalls continued and we limped into Port Clinton, anchoring
just as another big squall came through, drenching crew and cockpit. Luckily we were able to capture enough
rainfall to do all our washing as we relaxed for a few days in Port Clinton,
joined by a pair of sea-eagles and a pair of pelicans (though it’s hard to tell
with pelicans).
More boat
(“bring out another thousand”) maintenance as we track down a friendly sail
maker and another boost to the Australian economy, although 6 months ahead of our
schedule!
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Great post! Unexpected changes to the weather were our greatest challenge last season. We do the research and like you plan the leg accordingly but got caught out a few times. Our greatest lessons from this was to learn when to make a call to turn back if possible. See you out there on the big blue!
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