Blown Main on Way to Darwin
Eowyn
Fri 20 Aug 2010 22:05
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Éowyn
is presently underway between Thursday Island and Darwin in position
10:51.271S 134:48.124E
We have been going well in
mixed conditions and had high hopes of doing OK on this leg, as we were
lying second to Thor VI, but this morning at dawn, we discovered that the
mainsail had blown out, a horizontal seam having opened completely. This may be
due to UV damage as the stitching has been exposed for much of the last 8 months
and Eowyn has covered more than 22,000 miles. We are now sailing under poled
gemoa or asymetyric spinnaker according to the wind and must motor once we get
to the Dundas Strait. I calculte that will add 12 hours to our time and we
should now get in on the 25th August.
Yesterday, the 3rd of my 4
laptops failed. I just have an old Windows ME laptop, some 10 years old and well
past its normal life. We are busy converting Mike's Netbook to serial port and
installing the communications software on it.
I had thought having 4 laptops
somewhat overcautious but clearly not! Ho
Hum!!
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