Well I'm not the kind of guy that is overly paranoid about checking every thing before every trip, usually. I did decide that the forestay looked a little loose and should be tightened up a bit. Well I couldn't get to the turnbuckle at the bottom of the cable, cause it is under the roller furler drum. So I took the screws out of the drum to slide it up the cable to make room. While lifting the sail and furler up I accidentally caused the top of the sail to get unhooked.
Well, that's OK, it is designed be hooked and unhooked from the deck. I tightened the turnbuckle some and reassembled the drum. Then I tried re-hooking the sail following the instructions for the sail hook....no good. I can't get it hooked. So I call Scott from Avventura to come over and hoist me up the mast. When I get to the top and start to hook the sail, I notice why the forestay looked loose. The pin that holds the turnbuckle at the top was almost out of the hole!!! Oh no! It had also lost one
of the washers and cotter pins that are supposed to hold it in place. I was really scared. This cable is half of what holds up the mast. If I hadn't had trouble with the sail and not gone up the mast, I would not have known and it might have caused the mast to fall if the pin had worked the last 1/4 inch out!
I seem to have had a lot of "good luck" this way. Back in San Carlos, when we were tied to a mooring buoy, a shackle pin worked it's way out during a rain storm and the mooring was held only by the shackle having happened to turn sideways. Then again in Manzanio, I pulled up the anchor to find the shank hooked to the chain by only the edge of the shackle pin again. Some body seems to be watching out for me!
Scott lowered me back down so I could worry about it in comfort a while. Finally I started going through my junk drawer and found some parts to make replacements for the missing pieces. So I make a new washer by sawing off the eye from the old clevice from before the roller furler, and Scott hoists me back to the top. There is too much strain on the cable, what with the wind blowing 20 knots and the boat bouncing all around. but after a while I finally get it all back together right.
Almost makes me want to go up and check it all out every time before a passage!
Scott did check his!
All that made us late for the Bon Voyage bar-b-que on the beach with Bold Spirit, Southern Cross, Avventura and us. It was fun, we had grilled fish, beans, rice and pasta salad. And some wine to recover from the afternoons adrenalin rush!
We plan to depart toward Hawaii about 7 AM tomorrow. It should be a 10 to 14 day trip, 950 miles. All 3 fo us are leaving together.
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