Monday, January 4, 2010

Harken 59 Winch

Harken 59 winch

I got up late at 8am and, after a couple of coffee and a Müsli bar, headed out to Soper's Hole under motor (it was directly into the wind) and then set sail after passing that headland. With 2 reefs in the main and just 1 on the genoa I was making 8 knots in comfort but the speed indicator wasn't working and whenever I tried to tack using the autopilot's “Auto Tack” mechanism the boat would pretend to tack and then remain in irons and pointing straight into the wind. After 3 bad tacks I gave up on the autopilot and still made good speed into The Bight on Norman island where I will have to dive on the wheel later this afternoon. The “Man of Steel“ arrived here before me so I am sure that tonight will be an interesting one at the Willie T's.
I got into the harbour at 2pm and spent much of the afternoon doing maintenance work below decks, but then the wind died down completely and I went topsides to continue the Nevr-Dull treatment of the stainless steel stanchions and finished off with the winches, which were looking the worse for wear before polishing.
It was, indeed, an interesting night at the bar. Too many shots of unidentified alcoholic substances and other mere beer made for a rather alcoholic evening. My erstwhile drinking companions made it to the bar and did body shots - all that before 10pm and the night got successively wilder after that. I really should have brought my camera...