June 04 11.30UTC 48:07.7N 32:45.54W

Ellatrout3
Sat 5 Jun 2010 15:12
Report on behalf of Dad/Roger Friday 4 June (all times below BST)
 
At 09.00 we received a call from Dad to say he had encountered his next "emergency".  His jib halyard (the bit of wire which holds the front sail up - for those not familiar with sailing terms) had broken.  After a lengthy discussion, pouring over detailed Atlantic weather charts and lots of 'googling' we decided he would attempt to climb the mast to replace and re-thread the halyard.  He had about a 5 hour window when the winds were light enough (10-12knots) for him to attempt the climb.  He would keep the mainsail up so ET3 would keep sailing making her much more stable in the water. 
 
At 12.30 he called to say all was ready and I took a note of his position (as above), course (205 SW ish)  and speed 2.5knots.  I nagged him re: harnesses, helmet etc. I then paced round the house (coastguard number in hand!) for the next few hours waiting for the phone to ring.  At 15.00 I had just set off to take my daughter to her ballet show dress rehearsal when he called.
 
He was so knackered he was barely coherent but I gathered he had managed the climb and was safely back on deck, two and a half hours in total.  Unfortunately he had been unable to replace the halyard as his fingers were too large to thread it.  He was tired, hungry and very low.  I promised I would do some more research and sent him to bed!
 
Next instalment to follow............
 
Elaine