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Indian Ocean Crossing, The Preparation

19 March 2018April 8, 2020rebecca.childress@yahoo.comLeave a comment

This is an article which appears in the March 2018 issue of Ocean Voyager magazine. Ocean Voyager is a special, annual, publication of Ocean Navigator. But what you read below is the full, unedited version.

Cruising for over three years in the tropics of South East Asia has wilted our sea-legs. We have experienced nothing more adventurous than an occasional sudden thunder shower as we ghosted the coast of Borneo and all the shores of Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. Now it is time to get back to serious passage making and prepare to zig zag our way cross the Indian Ocean, from Malaysia to South Africa via Madagascar and many remote islands in between. Thousand mile long passages and longer abound. Once again, we will be in belts of strong weather. In the Indian, yachting facilities are few. The boat must be in solid, long haul condition. When we depart Malaysia, we will be ready for real sailing yet the preparations have been a year in the fixing.

Heavy Weight Supplies

Owning ones own long range cruising boat is the only way to access some of the most remote specks of land in the world like in the Pacific, Holmes Reef, Minerva Reef, Bikini, Suwarrow, Fatu Hiva. Now, heading out to the Indian Ocean, we cannot miss the chance to visit the fabled Chagos, where no one lives but the largest coconut crabs and seabirds on tropical islands with countless fish on the clear reefs. Departing Malaysia, our water and fuel tanks will be full, including all our deck stowed jerry jugs. Since there will be no cheaper fuel on our horizon, some of the 5 gallon jerry jugs are one time use disposables. The waterline of Brick House will be further depressed by months of food stores. Food throughout the Indian Ocean is expensive so we are stocking up in Malaysia. As we move south in latitude and into known windy areas, our load of supplies will lighten so we will become more buoyant, agile and seaworthy. As we work our way to Madagascar, where aggressive storms are a near certainty, we want to be as unencumbered and nimble as possible; to lift and move on top of the waves, not be washed over and beaten by them. At that point, we want on our boat no more than 50 gallons of water and no more than 40 gallons of diesel in the main tanks with the remaining deck stored jerry-jugs to be empty.

General Preparation

We have worked hard removing the hatches and portlights, resealing them to stop present leaks and to insure there will be no new leaks. Cracks in the side decks were ground out and repaired. The not so clear plastic of the dodger windows was renewed. A new mainsail cover is now in place. All the rigging has been inspected. The hull has been cleaned with new antifouling applied. These are all parts of the maintenance treadmill any cruising boat owner must endure. But to successfully sail us across the Indian Ocean, we decided to order a new genoa.

Genoa Sail

To move us through the calm weather latitudes to Sri Lanka then southward to Chagos, we have on board a new 125% genoa from Mack Sails, www.macksails.com , located half way around the world from us in Stuart, Florida. We have personally visited some of the lofts in S.E. Asia and have concluded, it is better to buy American. Our new genoa is made of 7.77oz Challenge Marblehead Dacron. “These fabrics are the finest most tightly woven fabrics in the world and rely on the quality of yarn and weave, rather than impregnated resins, to maintain integrity.” To distribute loading more evenly across the fabric on our genoa, and to hold the sail shape for 15 to 20 years, Mack sews their jibs with the more difficult miter panels rather than the easier to sew, long, crosscut panels. As we work into the stronger wind areas, we will replace the new 125% with our 90% jib made of 8.77 oz Marblehead. These sails, along with our tough little cutter sail, made by Mack, gives us the versatility needed for working through known soft and strong wind latitudes.

Anchoring

After the sails, our thoughts turned to anchoring. 10 years ago a 60 lb CQR was our primary anchor till it showed how it could plow a long farmers furrow and still not dig in. That anchor nearly ended our voyage soon after it began. The 30kilo Bruce became our primary anchor which has served us well in all sorts of anchoring conditions for the past 10 years. But the Bruce was not infallible. We want to keep up on the latest anchor technology so we felt an anchor with a more pointed entry would burry quicker and could hold as securely as the Bruce normally would and possibly better. We decided to replace the Bruce with a 27 kg (60 pound) Manson Supreme anchor which is made in New Zealand. Because of their sailing environment dipping into latitudes of the roaring forties, New Zealanders know how to manufacture their yachting products to withstand harsh conditions. I don’t want to risk having gear on our boat made in China. So far, the Manson Supreme is performing as flawlessly as we had expected.

Foul Weather Gear

In the tropics, when a heavy downpour or sea spray breaks over our boat, to stay dry, we have been slipping into a cheap plastic raincoat bought at a hardware store. Our “ocean” designated foul weather gear has always leaked right through the “breathable” fabric. Now we have gotten serious about foul weather gear which will do what it is advertised to do. Our research brought us to the Henri Lloyd Freedom line of foul weather gear, made of Polyamide coated with polyurethane. I recently tested this gear on a yacht delivery from Rhode Island to St. Maarten and it was impressive. It kept me warm and dry and it was not cumbersome to put on or take off. There are plenty of pockets in the right places without overdoing it. An interesting highlight is the hood which gives full wind and spray protection and can do this without ruining peripheral vision. The hood has a clear Optivision hi-vis hood system. No more messing around now, we have the good stuff. Here is Patrick’s Jacket.

Paper Charts and Real Books

At our navigation station we have a Raymarine es128 chartplotter with a 12 inch screen. Not only does the large screen have the advantage of being viewable all the way back to the helm, the large screen gives us a much better spatial awareness than any of the smaller screens that preceded it. But there is nothing like having a large scale paper chart to see where a boat has been and where it is going. The distances in the Indian are so great, we ordered a paper chart, from Bluewater Books and Charts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which covers all of the Indian Ocean. That chart will be folded flat and live under the Plexiglas of the chart table. We will be able to quickly plot the location of fellow cruisers and keep track of our own wanderings. Additionally, as we start the second half of our circumnavigation, we find, despite the digital plethora of information, a printed paper cruising guide is still our preferred way to organize routes and anchorages ahead. Bluewater Books and Charts has been in business for more than 30 years, and offer the single greatest selection of paper and electronic charts, cruising guides, marine books and publications, software, flags and instruments available for sailors like us. We stocked up with the Indian Ocean Cruising Guide, theEast Africa Pilot Guide, the South Atlantic Circuit, and the Patagonia and Tierra Del Fuego Nautical Guide. Rebecca has also made .kap files(Google earth charts) for every possible stop along the way. We can now go into anchorages with full satellite images. But, at our fingertips will be all the paper books, and information we need, in one central location, without having to turn on a computer.

Weather Information

Getting accurate, economical weather routing reports and communicating with those back home while we are far away from land has always been a challenge. On previous ocean crossings, we relied on our SSB radio and Pactor modem for email and weather. Sadly to say, that trusty equipment is becoming equal to using a cassette player when an IPod is available. Although there is still a use for the SSB radio for communicating on a schedule with other cruisers, its other functions are waning. We have signed up for an “Iridium GO!” Marine Package with PredictWind www.predictwind.com . Iridium Go! is a new generation Iridium satellite wifi hotspot to which all our handheld devices can connect to. PredictWind also offers a myriad of downloadable weather products, including weather routing, with intuitive, feature rich software to retrieve and examine the reports it offers. But better than using this application via a cantankerous SSB, the Iridium GO!, with an external antenna, offers the best value and least complications for downloading weather and email while on a passage, anywhere in the world. It’s not faster than SSB\Pactor but it is available around the clock, when we want it. The Iridium GO! is so completely integrated with the PredictWind software, that one would almost think they were using the application on the internet, albeit more slowly. PredictWind controls all of the connections to the GO! We will be able to receive and send emails as well, as well as utilizing 150 minutes of voice time per month, to be used through our smartphones, for family issues back home, ordering of parts or technical support at sea, or emergencies. We paired this system with another product called Xgate to add more functionality when using our laptops, through both the GO!, and when connected to the internet through other means. With such interoperability and so many advantages, an entire article could be written about the combination. Month to month contracts for service, if purchased through www.

.com , allows shutdown to a minimally priced plan while in port. Predictwind sells through Amazon too, but buying directly from Predictwind is the best way to go…get your SIM cards, external antenna, Iridium GO, weather service, through this one supplier for the best in support and service!

Another great feature of the GO! is the SOS button. This is not a substitute for a stand alone EPIRB, but a great additional tool. Geos Safety Solutions (http://www.geossafetysolutions.com ) provides free coordination of efforts in case of an emergency, as well as affordable (Search And Rescue) and Medevac if the SOS button is pressed during an emergency.

EPIRB Batteries

Recently, we hand carried our ACR brand self deploying 406 GPS, EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) and smaller PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) EPIRB on airplanes from Malaysia back to the U.S.. With the batteries in the equipment, we ran into no concerns by airport inspectors. The batteries have a long shelf life even after their 6 year expiration date but we want to take no chances. In the U.S., we sent the equipment to ACR in Ft. Lauderdale. After changing the batteries, they were mailed to us at our departure address in the U.S. so we could hand carry them back to Malaysia. Monthly, we flip the switch half way on our ACR, EPIRB, to activate the self test mode to be sure it is successfully acquiring satellites and transmitting to the test receiving station properly.More ACR Epirbs

Propspeed

I have never been able to keep antifouling on any propeller that was installed on Brick House no matter what material the prop was made of. Antifouling far too soon disappeared which meant the beginning again of the biweekly chore to scrub the marine growth from the prop and drive shaft. In the 85 degree tropical water of which we are accustomed, the work was not terribly challenging. However, there are frigid waters in our future of which even layers of wetsuits are no enticement for me to go in for a casual prop cleaning. Cruising friends who have used Propspeed, which is a silicone coating, are very satisfied. The application is a very precise process of sanding, cleaning, etching, primer application then the final application of the clear silicone coating. The clear coating is not antifouling but an ultra smooth surface which marine organisms have a very difficult time attaching to. If organisms do settle, they are easily brushed off. The manufacturer of our Kiwiprop suggest it is not necessary to prime the Zytel blades before applying traditional antifouling or Propspeed. Following those directions, I have never had success with antifouling staying on the Zytel blades for an adequate amount of time. Applying to the Zytel, I followed the Propspeed directions in the same steps as the stainless steel components were treated except for the etching. With a Kiwiprop however, an applicator must be careful not to build up any material in the area of swing of the trailing edge of the blades which could inhibit their forward to reverse function. Propspeed is another great product made in New Zealand. There are imitators but only Oceanmax, makes Propspeed and has a long positive track record.

Nonskid Decks

A major safety item is the disappearance of the nonskid on our side decks. Since painted 9 years ago, our decks have gotten slippery over the years from the wearing away of the sand non-skid imbedded in the deck paint. Where we are going, is not a place for unsure footing. There are 3 grades of non-skid sand, fine, medium and coarse. We used the coarse and applied it to the wet two part paint using a plastic peanut butter jar with a lot of holes drilled in the lid, like a large salt shaker. The large grain is a good gripper like we need but can be a little uncomfortable when kneeling down with bare knees. Cosmetically, I think the medium grain would be nicer and may not retain discoloration and dirt like the coarse does.

Jack Lines

We haven’t seen our yellow jack lines in years. They and the inflatable PFDs have been stuffed somewhere in the back of a hanging locker. This will be the time to dig them out. In our normal mode of cruising, jack lines and harnesses can be a dangerous encumbrance which restricts ones movements on deck and becomes an annoying leg tripper. Normally, we just don’t need them and since entering the Pacific, I don’t recall seeing any cruising friends using them. There comes a time though, in very rough weather, when waves are breaking over the boat and the deck is pitched more like the steep slope of a glacier that it would be ridiculous not to strap into a safety tether and be shackled to the boat, especially if one had to go forward on deck.

Titanium Bow Roller

Years ago we changed all our stainless steel chain plates to grade 5 titanium. The price of titanium parts is slowly falling so we decided this would be the time to replace the 41 year old stainless steel bow roller/chain plate assembly with one made of titanium. We removed the existing assembly and sent it to Allied Titanium, now located in Sequim, Washington www.alliedtitanium.com . Grade 5 titanium weighs a little more than half of 316 stainless steel yet is 3.5 times stronger. It is not affected by salt water or electrolysis. Since we will be keeping Brick House for a very long time, titanium upgrades and the safety margin it brings us make it a good investment.

SONAR

While hauled out of the water to paint the bottom in Malaysia, I installed a new faring block and sonar transducer. This is a new addition to our array of Raymarine, navigational electronics. We now have on our big MFD (multi function display), a sonar that gives a color rendition of what is below our keel down to 900 feet whether it is rocks or alive and swimming. There is another mode called DownVision which uses a sweep of frequencies rather than the standard 200kz or 50 kz.. This gives far greater detail and definition to the targets. With this viewing equipment, we can see what the textures and contours the ocean floor below us is made of. This is especially useful when feeling our way into remote anchorages and knowing if we make a mistake, we will be on rocks or soft mud, and once we are anchored, how many and how big the fish are outside our cockpit.

Solar Panel

Soon we will be away from marinas…we will need to be energy conscious and our alternative energy sources need to be at their best. We took apart our KISS wind generator, and put in new thermostats, and bearings, and rebalanced the blades. It now runs better than it ever has. We also ultimately determined, with help from the “Solar Queen”, Amy, a sailor herself, from altE (http://www.altestore.com), that our 25+ year old solar panels were truly at the end of their life. Her team recommended the Morningstar ProStar MPPT-25 solar controller, along with one new 265 watt solar panel to replace our 4 small 51 watt panels, in the same footprint, on top of our hard dodger. Prior to this installation, we were seeing about 20-30 amp hours per sunny day. Now we are easily seeing 60-70. The team at altE is passionate about solar power, and are able to provide astounding results.

For all the work we have just completed on Brick House, we should do just fine getting to Durban, S. Africa and on around to Cape Town, where we begin again on the revolving list of maintenance and repairs.

For more information or to order, click on any link below.

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Two Free Sailing Courses with no halyards attached…

Brick House Dismasted in Kiribati, the middle of the Pacific!

15 September 2011January 5, 2019rebecca.childress@yahoo.com4 Comments

This post recounts the moments following the dismasting disaster about the dismasting of our Bluewater sailboat, a Valiant 40, ‘Brick House’, in 2011, while sailing in the remote atolls of Kiribati, enroute to Vanuatu in the South Pacific

DISMASTED
Again my head slammed into the bent and mangled mast. What had appeared a rolly anchorage amongst coral reefs was a Twirl-A-Ride at the top of our broken mast stump. The other mast half was folded over the side of the boat, dipping in the water.

Tethered 20 feet above the deck the words of Bill Seifert in his book Offshore Sailing were being bounced out of my memory. “Cotter pins should not be bent open more than 10 degrees.” Cotter pins which were bent open at a small angle, holding dangling rigging, were easy to slip free from the clevis. The pins bent into a curlicue were taking all my effort, strength and patience to bend straight with pliers and small screwdrivers. They were becoming a real headache, in every form.

The day before, when sailing south in sunshine and gentle breeze, the squall had come on us suddenly. Rebecca, and I were below as the wind slammed. But it was only 30 knots; wind this boat can easily handle although I would have preferred to shorten sail. As I moved to the wheel to turn downwind to ease the pressure, I heard a pop and watched the top of the mast along with reefed mainsail and genoa, fold gracefully to starboard; the mast creasing just below the spreaders. Situations I had read and heard about in wild weather in terrible latitudes were now upon my wife and me. The big difference was that we were dressed in shorts and T-shirts 95 miles south of the equator and 307 miles west of the International Date Line, near the southern stretch of the Kirabati atolls.

With the wind dropping and rain slowing, Rebecca stood eagerly on deck asking what she could do to help. But where do you start to pick up a disaster when everything broken is high overhead or in the water out of reach? I too was at a loss, responding “Tell ME what to do!”
Then the mast section sticking up from the deck jerked sharply to starboard as though it could be twisted out of shape. That marked the starting point. We had already turned downwind to ease the rolling but the jib furler and genoa dragging in the water were still attached to the top of the mast which was also scraping the ocean with each roll of the boat. The sail, having opened like a baleen’s mouth, transferred tremendous pressure, torquing what remained of the unsupported rig. It became obvious that the immediate job was to dive into the ocean and cut the genoa halyard free of the dragging and plunging mast tip and pull the toggle pin to free the head stay and genoa furler. But the boat could leave me behind creating an additional unpleasant situation. We looked over the sides and pulled what wet sails and lines we could find inside of the lifelines before starting the engine. Shifting into reverse at idle, the tortured genoa wallowed and collapsed its load of ocean and sat there undulating like a large Dacron jellyfish.Although Brick House was no longer moving, I wore a life jacket and rope tether for my initial time in the ocean. If I were injured or the boat began to move again, this would give Rebecca a lifeline to me. Later, swim fins without a lifejacket gave me the mobility needed to complete the work.With the ocean and mast moving in syncopated directions, the work was dangerous and difficult, limiting me to intermittent attempts at freeing the sail hanging from the upside-down mast. The biggest threat was being punched in the head or shoulders by the mast slamming then pulling back from the ocean. I was watchful, but with one plunge I was unable to move quick enough. In nanoseconds, I had the frightening feeling of terrible injury as growing pressure seemed intent to pierce my thigh; but the offending VHF antenna bent like a child’s sword leaving me only with a feeling of good luck. As soon as the genoa was freed from the mast, Rebecca stopped the engine and together we hauled the sail and furling gear on board.

It was the failure of the port upper shroud chainplate that caused the mast to fold. In the fall, the upper shroud wrapped over the top of the stump pulling with it, 4 feet into the air, a 5 gallon jug of outboard gasoline. The gas spilled a slippery, smelly slick on the port side deck which added to our difficulties. The other shrouds lay in a mass of stiff spaghetti snaking around the deck.

We did not want to pull pins or cut cables and heave equipment overboard. We needed to save and rebuild everything we could. Besides, with a keel stepped mast, there is no way to jettison a bent and toppled mast without first cutting it through at deck level.

It took hours to regain order and secure supports to the dragging mast head. We hardly noticed the sun disappearing till we could see no more. But now we could not risk starting the engine for a second time without first entering the dark ocean and verify fully nothing would tangle in the propeller.

Our underwater light was invaluable this evening. Normally I plunge the reefs in daylight looking for sizable fish to pursue. Tonight I entered the black ocean slowly, the narrow beam of light searching for the profile and glinting eyes of large pursuers. But in the glow, the keel of Brick House and I were the only things swimming. Everything below the waterline looked tranquil except for the boarding ladder which rolled and bubbled deep in white foam then rose again. We could start the engine and be on our way. Click,click,click. How could this be? The only time in four years, when I most need the engine to start, and it won’t turn over even though the battery is fully charged! Click, click, click. Unbelievable. I am always in the engine room checking, cleaning, changing. Click, click. I had visions of now jury rig sailing southwest, 960 miles to Vanuatu. Rebecca put the battery selector to “Both”. The engine dragged slowly then revved and purred. At no time after this did the engine ever falter to start!

The north end of Tabiteuea is not an atoll but a long, low coconut island open to the west. It was the least bumpy anchorage we could reach in our situation. We had all night to pass the 25 miles to get there. Only when the sun was high did we slowly wind through the uncharted labyrinth of coral till our way was fully blocked, two miles from shore.

In the light of a new day, Rebecca was incredibly despondent looking at our broken home. I reminded her about the quote; “The difference between adversity and adventure is attitude.” I asked, “Isn’t this an adventure?!” Her eyes reddened and watered, “We are ruined…this is nothing but a disaster!!!” In reality our situation could have been worse. At least we had our rudder and plenty of diesel fuel. But she pointed out, “If we had only known to change the chain plate we would be on our way to Vanuatu or Rotuma.”

In my diligence to shine our stainless steel, I had been polishing away the evidence. At the top of the chainplate, a second layer of steel had been welded to add thickness for the clevis pin to pull against. Moisture had been seeping between the two metals at the clevis pin hole. That chainplate was going to break and with luck it failed where an anchorage was not far away. I should have inspected the chainplates with a magnifying glass and crack exposing dye or, better yet, replaced them on a scheduled basis like we do the wire stays.

In our bumpy anchorage the first task was to save the main sail. When the mast folded, the main sail slides did the splits; one group stayed on the vertical mast stump and the remaining were stuck in the fallen section. The stress stopped at a point which allowed the sail to spread but not enough to tear it apart. The first order was to reach the uppermost slide on the stump and cut the tabbing or pull the pin on the slide to relieve the pressure. Using the halyard brakes for steps, just enough of a toe hold allowed the proper reach. With that release of pressure the remaining slides on one side of the sail slid off the bent mast into the ocean. The other slides were released from the mast at the gooseneck. The mainsail was then flaked onto the boom and covered with the sail cover.

The next problem was to figure out how to get to the top of the stump. From there I could then release more dangling wires, secure rope stays all around and set blocks for halyards. Lacking the native skills to climb coconut palms, we decided to first get a messenger line over the mast to which a stronger line would follow.

The one firearm we have on board is a high powered slingshot. It seemed reasonably simple to shoot a projectile with kite string attached over the mast. The problem was, no matter how carefully the string was flaked in preparation for the shot, the run would snag on the slightest resistance and pull itself into a tangle. Far more time was spent untangling cats cradles than slinging out the projectile. We pulled out the heavy artillery. The monkey’s fist is a hardball of zinc artfully wrapped in rope and tied to 3/16″ line. Although cushioned by the wounds of line, the fist can smash solar panels and split deck hatches. As I was gearing up for my aerial bombardment, Rebecca scrambled to spread a bed of cushions.

Throw after throw of the monkey’s fist went high, low, and into left field. Several times the fist draped over a hard spot and doubled back to wind around its trailing line like a tether ball. With great fortune, like a tether ball, it always unwound itself rather than spinning into a knot high out of reach.

I always had a better chance tossing a wringer with my eyes closed. After 18 throws, my tosses became less calculating and more menacing as my eyes squinted tighter. But then, as persistence and luck would have it, the fist sailed in a perfect arch gracefully laying its trailing line over the mast top at just the right angle. This messenger line pulled the 7/16″ diameter line over the mast and was secured to a cleat. To that line was attached the Top Climber.

The Top Climber is similar to what rock climbers or giant Sequoia tree ascenders use. The method is to stand in the foot straps then slide the hand gripper up the line to bring up the seat straps. Sitting in the seat straps, the foot straps are then slid up the line. It is progress which enables the user to easily identify with the mechanics of an inchworm. The system may be slow but it works for unassisted elevating. In a rolly anchorage, a helmet would be useful to ease the battering.

If the Top Climber system had not worked, there are two other ways to get to the top of the mast. The same 7/16″ line could pull up a block and tackle to which a bosuns chair is attached. A person in the chair can hoist himself and secure the line to the chair at the proper elevation. Any 50ish man who has used this system says it will tend to cramp the hands and certainly is not as easy to use as it once was. However, a person on deck could assist with the pulling and then secure the line to a deck cleat. The last option is to use the natives of the Pacific as inspiration and simply shinny the mast as it were a coconut palm while wearing a harness. At the top, the tether attached to the harness would be wrapped over the top of the mast and quickly made fast. Hanging there, the lines and pulley necessary for a bosuns chair could be secured before making a decent. This latter method is made even more difficult as hanging in mid air, ones own body weight gradually crushes deeper against the harness straps making movement and breathing difficult. Safe working time is short. While I was aloft on the Top Climber, Rebecca did what she could to steady lines to keep me from swinging and banging so hard against the rigging.

With access to the mast top, I was able only then to see a single bolt head from the running pole slide was all that the rope was truly resting on. A slip off that finger hold and I would have to grab something quickly as my support line would slide down the broken stay, over the spreader and into the ocean. There was little alternative but to stay focused and keep working while keeping constant pressure on the support line. I continued to drop all unnecessary wire stays and salvable electrical fitting from the mast to Rebecca’s waiting hands below. Spare lines from the cockpit locker were wrapped, woven and tied around the stump top to form head stays and back stays and shrouds. From three separate looped lines, 3 blocks were shackled and halyard lines rove. My work aloft, for this rocking anchorage anyway, was complete and I inched my way down with a headache and a several red scrapes and dings.

The first item to be raised on a halyard was the emergency Single Side Band antenna. Ours is a 1/8″ stainless steel wire, insulated on each end with plastic thimbles and tied with lines to the stern and bow pulpit. Plastic water hose was slid to the middle so when raised, the wire would be insulated from contact with the mast. The minimum length for an emergency antenna is 23 feet, the longer the better. Originally intended to go up a masthead halyard, our antenna is 46′ long. GTO-15 wire is the most prescribed wire for connecting the antenna to the antenna tuner but in our case the largest core wire we had on the boat was used. Our emergency antenna worked equally, if not better than the antenna which came down with the rigging. Over the weeks ahead, we would keep in touch with cruisers nets and to begin organizing the repairs of our boat.

There were so many problems for us to solve, we had to discipline ourselves not to race ahead but to complete the most immediate job. When that task was complete then we could advance to the next item on the list. Now that our decks were cleared and organized and the dragging mast section was well supported, we could decide where we should sail for repairs. We could not sever and lower the bent mast to the deck till we reached a calmer anchorage. In the Tabiteuea anchorage it took 3 days to clear the rigging and get order to our decks. As we prepared to leave, we gained a renewed attitude and fortitude to rebuild our bricks.

Mast dragging

An off the wind radius had us looking for possibilities in Vanuautu and as far away as Australia and points north. What we needed most was fast mail and frequent cargo shipping from the U.S., a place to lay out a mast and a crane to lift it. 620 miles northwest lay Majuro, Marshall Islands. That U.S. associated island fit our repair requirements. But the seasonal winds were shifting to north of east which could make it a difficult, if not impossible target. We were racing the seasons with a slow, broken boat. Our first stop would be Tarawa, 225 miles to the northwest.

It must have been that seasonal shift which, for the only time in months, brought settled winds of less than 12 knots and at times a push from abaft the beam. Our odd looking sails assisted the diesel engine gliding us along at the most fuel efficient 1800 RPMs. Two days later we dropped the anchor in Tarawa off the town of Betio.

We found shelter in the middle of the perfectly calm but tiny inner harbor. Working from a bosuns chair, the sawing began where the mast was bent over. It took 3 fully charged batteries for our 18 volt Ryobi cordless reciprocating saw to work its way through most of the metal. This was one time Rebecca appreciated not carrying out her threat to empty my tool locker and refill it with a bicycle or sewing machine.

It was delicate work to guide the saw blade around halyards pinched inside the mast but slicing through the expensive bundle of electrical wires could not be avoided. An arm powered hacksaw blade made the final slices to drop the full weight of the mast section onto two halyards. With help from the crew of SV Summer Sky, it was surprisingly easy slackening one halyard while the safety of the other halyard supported the 150 pound weight of the mast. Near the deck, one halyard was repositioned at the balance point and the spar was rotated to the side deck where it was set on a cushion of fenders. The weight of that mast section was stowed on the starboard which would be the windward side of our next passage.

With a stubby rig that looked like something Shackleton would use to escape his Antarctic adventure, we worked our way north. As we sailed past other atolls we kept to their sheltered west shores and made comfortable progress in unseasonably tranquil conditions. Our bucket of luck was heavily tapped on this 390 mile passage. The customary 18 knot winds and large waves returned only as we picked up a mooring in the safety of Majuro.

At our destination, the tedious work of ordering materials and the wait for them to arrive would begin. Brick House had been cracked but soon it will sail with titanium chainplates and a rig to take us safely to whatever latitude we choose.

Are we insured? Find out How we choose to Insure this old boat!