Talulah's Log - Anti-fouling the spinnaker.....
Talulah's Web Diary
Paul & Anette Morris
Fri 15 Dec 2006 21:19
position "14:34.780N 55:14.814W"
Friday
15th December
2006
After last nights log, Anette and I decided to haul down the parasail
spinnaker as darkness approached, and to prepare ourselves for the forecasted
showers and gusts of the evening. Well, the wind was 22 knots
(again!), the boat yawing and sliding about on a rough sea, when the
downhaul on the spinnaker snuffer decided to wrap itself around not only the
shrouds, but the snuffer itself! For a few moments I was
airborne as the wind took charge and re-inflated the spinnaker, but then
Anette began very quickly to ease the halyard and the spinnaker came
down - not onto the trampoline as was planned, but because the wind was
increasing, it went into the sea, slowing the boat dramatically, and at the same
time going under one of the hulls! By this time I had both
feet planted on the deck and was going nowhere!! We both very
quickly began to haul the spinnaker out of the 10 to 15 foot seas that were
rolling Talulah about, and to stuff it down one of the for'd
hatches. Damage assessment was done in the cold light of
day today, and it appears we have a ripped spinnaker (expensive!), but
have done a very nice job of anti-foul painting it!! This
was NOT one of our finest hours and taught us a lot.
The
weather has also not been nice today, with tropical rains storms running through
us, and a grey sky and fluctuating winds. But on the positive side we have
330 miles to run, and I was able to beat Anette at Scrabble!! (a
first!).
Anette has seen a large vertical fin in the water keeping pace with the
boat......? Does it think we are
supper?