Quijote Crew Rocks

Sailing can be said to be alternately peaceful and terrifying. We can't reasonably expect to experience one without the other in this game.

We've been on leg two for about twenty-four hours now after leaving Bahia Tortuga for Bahia Santa Maria in calm conditions. The rally's Grand Poobah dictated a two hour rolling start with engines running to charge batteries and let afternoon winds fill in. And fill in they did. We enjoyed wind speeds in the mid teens (in knots) for most of the day.

Then just before dark all hell broke loose. I wasn't on watch, but Kevin describes what happened like this: a large rolling wave travelled under the boat, rocking the mast and spinnaker away from the wind, which effectively slackened the wind on the sail. Then it rolled back, pushing the sail into the wind, doubling the force from 16 knots to something possibly near thirty with a punch. The spinnaker exploded into shredded nylon in a raucous cacophony.

Kevin was already sprinting down the deck by the time I bounded up the steps to find out what was going on. Petar took the helm and Kay grabbed my harness for me as Kevin and I worked to pull the sail onto the deck before it had a chance to wrap itself around the keel, prop, or rudder. Thankfully quick action by everyone helped save the day. It's not often we have situations that demand all hands on deck, but when they do, it was great to see everyone keep clear heads in the midst of chaos.

So the spinnaker is toast. It was the last remaining sail of the original inventory when I bought the boat. In retrospect it might have been prudent to have the sail surveyed by my sailmaker at Port Townsend Sails before heading out. It looked to be in pristine condition, which was why I didn't, but who knows what condition the stitching was in after twelve years.

I've heard reports of two other boats on the rally's radio net of blown out spinnakers since starting, so the conditions are really testing the fleet's sails. One of the boats got the sail wrapped around their prop, so they're heading for shelter to deal with it. Thankfully they have sails up and a working rudder.

We're now using our cruising genoa. It's a heavier, slower sail made out of Dacron instead of nylon, so it's more durable.

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