First sail 2014
Westralia
Steve Coughlan
Wed 21 May 2014 10:43
Mark Randall arrived about 8:30am. John, Mark and I spent the day carrying a range of tasks to get the yacht in order. This included fitting and up graded jib car that spread the load over two cars instead of one and a rope break to counter any violent movement. An upgraded gooseneck pin was fitted incorporating two grub screws and a split pin to eliminate the possibility of the pin walking. All the shroud protector cones were drilled and screwed to replace the rubber o rings previously used to secure the cone halves, as the o rings had failed. John replaced the Quattro Vitron control panel on the power board so the inverter system is now 100% operational. All provided by Discovery so very happy with their proactive support.
In the evening we caught a taxi to Civitavecchia shopping centre to buy supplies.
Tuesday 20th May
We completed fitting of all the miscellaneous equipment, e.g. Danbuoy, life buoys, set up the passerelle with a pulley block system to keep it clear of the jetty wall and gave the yacht a quick clean.
We departed mid-afternoon for a test sail and downwind training, finally getting to fly the Tiger's cruising chute. Unfortunately winds were too light for a good run but still a good training session from John for Mark and I . Returned to marina late afternoon.
