After a significant delay caused mainly by inclement 2012 weather but also by apprehensive procrastination, a week was put aside to get the old girl rigged and sailing. The weather had brightened, our enthusiasm was stoked and we headed out onto the water to begin the next phase of our maritime adventure. All three of us were scheduled to be in the same place at the same time but, alas, it was not to be.
Missy Finally Performing Her Design Function |
Small Hint From The Engine Whisperer |
Back on the mooring we were not unreasonably pleased with our progress and we were determined to take her out in slightly more wind on the following day. Force 3-4 was forecast with a slight sea. Perfect.
Sadly, our optimism was not rewarded. Carrying our stuff to the foreshore early on Saturday morning, the frapping in the boat park sounded like the mines scene in Lord of the Rings only with more hammers. It was glaringly obvious that it was blowing directly onshore and at around Force 6 far too strong for two novice sailors to venture out in an unknown boat. So we packed everything back in the car and went for breakfast. This was to prove the most sensible decision of the week.
After an idle day during which we were busy doing not much, Dave and SWMBO took a stroll into Swanage stopping briefly to check on Missy Moto who was rocking alarmingly in the short wind born chop that was carpeting the beach with seaweed. Viewed through the binoculars Dave immediately noticed something awry but couldn't quite put his finger on it. Then it dawned, we'd lost the mast! It was late afternoon so we left it to check on the following day, Sunday. We went to bed thanking whatever fates were looking out for us that we hadn't raised the sail in that wind on that day. Swanage lifeboat would have been busy and one or both of us could very well have ended up in hospital.
Sunday saw us on the boat and hauling up the mast, still thankfully attached by the main halyard and the lazyjacks, and securing it to the deck.
The final straws in this week of disasters was that the tender engine decided to die on us as well and the inflatable tender also sprung a leak.
So, we have a dismasted boat, unreliable main engine, unreliable tender engine, leaking inflatable. Maybe, we thought, someone's trying to tell us something! On the plus side, we still have the mast, both engines have had a thorough service, neither of us was injured and we survived with our dignity in tact if not our tempers. Oh, and we have a razor-edged cat flap in the garage door beside which I fully expect to find half a cat one fine morning - the other half being on the inside.
Ah, the pleasures of boating.