Copyright (c) Marc Dacey/Dark Star Media 2006-2020. Above photo (c) Marc Dacey. Powered by Blogger.

2015-09-08

Jibbering

Why, yes, I would on occasion like a car, but I also like to look good in a kilt.
After the main, in the usual course (nautical pun intended) of sail events, comes the jib. I had some issues with the furler track, however, which I thought I had thoroughly cleaned out of several years of accumulated grubbiness of the mast rack and spider debris sort. Long, somewhat painful story short, the Yankee jib jammed near the top of the furler track and ripped at the junction of UV cover and headboard. Above see it and an unsuitable candidate for Replacement Jib trekking back home prepatory to repair at the loft.
This actually worked.
I knew that sending up a human or bringin the mast down to clean out 1/100th of a gram of spider web wouldn't work from a time management point of view, so I tried a different approach. Being Canadian, I resorted to duct tape and a large screwdriver. After drinking, I remember I had an even larger screwdriver. Lashed it was, and slotted and downhauled it rose. 
Lanacote, for your sticky groove thang.

My can of Sail-Kote and McLube wouldn't work here...I had no way to spray above seven feet off the deck. So I gooped up the screwdriver and went for Round 2 of higher elevation. Given that I was replacing the damaged Yankee with a slightly long in the luff, somewhat elderly Kevlar No. 2 I had never converted to hanks for Valiente, a greasy luff rope was not concerning.

Clearly, this works better when you have someone furling and someone else tensioning the sheets.
Well, she went up a little reluctantly, but without ripping, and the furling, while clumsy and in need of more fairleads (which are somewhere aboard...) worked well enough with no Allen bolts shearing or snapping of UV-damaged lines.
Eh, it'll work for today.
Cabin Boy helped stow the tender into one, shorter unit, and a day was called (a very hot September day, at that). I think I might go for a sail.
Looks almost functional, doesn't it?