Up and down, up and down

Flags and breakfast down

Before I could take a picture of the colourful flags hanging above the foredeck of Salty Ginger, Peter yanked on the line that was holding them, tearing one of the lines that was interconnecting the flags and half of them came down while the other half were dangling up above, still connected to the line. Oops. Someone will have to go up the mast. Good thing it was planned.

While I was gathering my thoughts and equipment to go up to run the new halyard, Peter with Frank’s help prepared scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast. 

We didn’t linger much, but we took time to get on the same page as to what should be done and in which order. The temperature was still comfortable and it was not windy, so clearly good time for work!

Up the first time

The first order of business was to install a new exit plate on the mast, that is a hole in the mast through which the halyard can get out of the bottom of the mast and move without getting damaged by sharp metal pieces. This was not that hard. We prepared a template which I used to draw the contour of the new hole. Frank sent me a drill in a bucket that we were using to pass things up and down, and 10 minutes later we had a hole that was filed to be nice and smooth. Four rivets later the plate was installed and one of the lesser used lines was run through it.

In the meantime Peter was bored and also wanted something to do, so Frank armed him with dry lubricant and Peter sprayed all block bearings so that they would run freely.

Then Frank winched me all the way up the mast with a messenger line to which a piece of chain was attached. In goes the chain and all is looking good. When Frank lowered me to the level where the exit hole is supposed to be, to my genuine surprise I could not see the line. The thing I did not take into account was the fact that the mast is bent, so the chain was hiding in such a way that retrieving it through 1.5 cm wide hole was not happening. After a few unsuccessful attempts I was back on deck to ponder what to do next.

Up again

While I was contemplating my options, Peter made grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, and by the time we were done eating a new plan was formed. 

    1. Attach the messenger line to the existing spinnaker halyard.

    2. Feed the messenger line through the exit hole.

    3. Run the halyard up and retrieve the other end of the messenger line on the other side.

    4. Winch Andre up the mast to switch the messenger line to the free sheave at the top of the mast

    5. Run the new halyard using the messenger line.

It all sounds simple now that I wrote it down, but still the execution took close to 2 hours. My legs were rather stiff from being squeezed by the harness, my hands were getting cramps due to not being used to grabbing things all the time. But mission was accomplished: we now have a halyard with 2:1 purchase which should be great for our colourful code-0.

Schnell und dann nicht

It was 3pm and time was of essence to get provisions and drop off the car in Providence. We had one little issue: the wind picked up to 15 knots and 1-foot waves were running down the bay. For Salty Ginger this was not a problem, but for our dinghy, Ginger Snap, that could have been a bit of a complication. As fast as we could (but actively looking to avoid accidents) we lowered the dinghy into the water, attached the engine, and we were off to the opposite side of the Bristol bay to get to our car.

Frank took the dinghy back, first powering it very gently and getting blown all over the place, which made me a bit concerned at first, but then he figured the right speed of the motor and ultimately made it back across the bay to Bristol town. In the meantime, Peter and I almost ran through Stop&Shop throwing all that looked tasty into the shopping cart. In less than 20 minutes it was totally full. With a couple of old ladies waiting in the only serviced checkout, we went to the self-service check out and used two stalls to scan all the food in parallel.

When we called Frank, he happily told us that he is sitting in a bar enjoying a beer and we should come over and make a break. Sure, but I still had to drive to Providence to drop the car off and meet Sasha at the train station.

Peter’s story

In the meantime, Peter and Frank decided not to rush and sat at the bar enjoying a beer (Frank) and a Shirley Temple (Peter). When Peter got hungry, they ordered a steak on a “lava stone”, that is a very hot stone on top of which the steak could be cooked to one’s desired state. They told each other stories and were having a wonderful time.

By the time I came back, they met the owner and were making friends with the waitresses.

Andre’s story

The drive to Providence was uneventful and the car rental people only wanted the key and couldn’t care less for the fact that I was half hour later than I was supposed to be (I’m sure Avis will send me a bill). But stepping out onto the street made me realise how much fresher it was on the water. Hot wind in the city vs cool breeze at the coast made +32C feel very different. (Ok, I shouldn’t complain since in Zurich and in NYC it was much hotter.) Plus, waiting inside the air-conditioned train station was quite alright.

When Sasha, Pasha and I got back to Bristol it was almost 7. Frank persuaded us to stay at the bar to avoid cooking and then cleaning the boat. Contemplating between a) cleaning the boat, cooking, washing dishes and b) eating and cleaning the boat (had to be done anyway) we opted for b).

All hands on deck in the cabin, we stowed all the tools and supplies in no time, and restored the boat to the pristine state in which Sasha left it 10 days ago. After that we felt that we deserved a shower and a cold beer while chatting in the cockpit.