Today has been one of those perfect sailing days – blue sky, calm sea, gentle breeze, and not a care in the world. OK, so the breeze could have been a little less gentle as we only managed 4-5 knots all day, falling to 3 this evening, but it’s been lovely just to loll around in the sun. It’s definitely one of the things I do best, and I model myself on the behaviour of the ring-tailed lemurs at Monkey World in Dorset. If you’ve ever been there then you’ll know what I mean as on hot days they just lie back on the grass with arms, legs and tails outstretched. You can just picture them in big sunglasses with cool drinks in one paw, letting the lazy summer days drift by.
Dusk somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean
However I haven’t been completely idle as there are still a lot of storm repairs to be done, primarily to the sails. I managed to put a little tear in the drifter as I was getting it up this morning so it seems I’m breaking things faster than I’m fixing them. I know how those Forth Bridge painters feel now!
My cross-stitch is coming along nicely now thanks to a patent ‘Awl For All (Made Proudly In America)’ with which I’ve been making rather crude repairs to the genoa today. It works well and I’m now up to around 2 feet per hour, so with another 10 feet to go I might just get it fixed before the next storm hits me.
My poor mizzen sail will need rather more attention I fear, so I’ll have to do a bit of reconstructive surgery rather than mere stitching. I think I may be able to cut a piece out of one of my sail bags to make a patch, but that’ll have to wait till the genoa’s finished. Meanwhile I’ve found that the storm jib does a passable impression of the mizzen, so I’ve now got my ketch rig back. Mind you, the boat didn’t seem to go any slower without it so maybe those sloop evangelists are right.
Thus passed a pleasant afternoon with me sewing peacefully in the cockpit. Well, peacefully if you don’t count the pounding hard house pumping forth from my speakers. I wonder if it’s ever been heard in these parts before? Somehow I doubt it.