Archive for May 2020
A warm late autumn day and a forecast of 15 knots enticed me to the water today. With Elaine as crew we completed the course used for the RANSA Winter Wednesday Series in an hour and nine minutes. Fully crewed we have done the track in a similar time on two previous occassions but today the wind angle was ideal for a quick reach around the track.
We started a couple of hours before the usual scheduled start time and enjoyed the early finish and late lunch on the mooring back at Greenwich.
There was a few occassions when some extra crew would have been very helpful, perticularly the work out of Rose Bay where the breeze picked up mightily. It is a bit tough trying to steer and wind in the main in 19 knots of breeze and at times Elaine could have used some help to wind on the jib the last few millimeters but for a short handed exercise routine it was very satisfying and just a little tiring.
With a full crew we would probably have carried the No 1 heavy genoa and gone faster in the lulls but flogged the main more in the gusts. The backstay worked well for flattening the main but it will be better with an extra 2:1 in the cascade as it was a bit difficult to ease in the light patches. A full time attendant on the backstay will certainly improve the boat speed.
My last six days of social islolation have been quite productive on a variety of fronts. At home the laundry doors are almost finished with a repaint and on the water the gradual conversion of Passion X from a fat head main with twin backstays to a conventional pin head main with a single adjustable backstay is progressing satisfactorily.
For the construction and finishing of Passion X I purchased a number of finish sanders of which my favourite is the random orbital with a dedicated vacuum cleaner to pull away the dust. The vacuum holds the work head firmly agains the work piece so you can move it over the surface without downwards pressure. it worked wonderfully on Passion X particularly with the spray applied two pack polyurethane and is working quite well on the home doors with conventional household enamel applied by roller. The doors may not be a smooth as Passion X topsides but they are better than original.
After a coat of paint on one door on Monday I headed to Passion X to convert the backstays from 2:1 to winches on each side to 12:1 with a cam cleat on one side. At this stage the dyneema back stay is tied off but I will splice the end this week. Some of the falls on the purchase system are short dyneema strops joined together but these will be replaced with full length strops in time. The 12:1 seems to give adequate power but I can easily add another fall to make it 24:1 if needed.
I could not resist taking Passion X for a sail after completing the conversion and in the light air of Monday afternoon the overlapping battens popped through under the backstay satisfactorily.
Today was another door job and tomorrow might be a final coat on one door and a trip to Passion X to complete the splice in the backstay and end for end the genoa halyard.
My week in pictures.
Thursday exercising on the Laser at Gosford
Friday exercising on Passion X with a couple of laps around Cockatoo Island
Saturday Isn’t everyone doing jigsaw puzzles?
Sunday walk after Mothers Day with the Sydney family
Monday a test sail after converting the back stay to a single 12:1 system
Tuesday. laundry doors again
Prudence overwhelmed frustration and the promised Friday afternoon social distancing race was aborted with a day to go. Elaine had accompanied me to Gosford the day before so I could exercise on accordance with the letter and spirit of the lockdown. It was during the time I was on the water in the single handed Laser that the notice of cancellation came through so I missed it completely.
On Friday we duly set out and rigged Passion X early for a 2 PM start. With time on our hands I looked to confirm our start time. After much searching I found the missed message.
What does one do when you are rigged and ready but go for a sail anyway. We made an early start to sail the course for exercise and the early start was fortuitous as the wind died.
It took 2 hours and a couple of minutes to do the full routine. Some of the other potential starters also hit the water for family only or compliant social isolating exercise. Those that did so around the abandoned scheduled start times ran out of wind. Virus or no virus there would not have been finishers last week due to too much wind and this week due to not enough. Let’s hope that when we can race there will be breeze.
The day dawned with brilliant sunshine but a bit too much wind for comfort. While watching the trees bend in the plus 25 knots gusts a message was received announcing the cancellation of todays short handed social distancing race.
As the morning progressed the breeze continued to build and while I will miss the exercise it is possibly wise that the fleet will stay ashore. The wind direction would have made for a beat up the narrow passage between the islands and the Drummoyne shore and even with the No 3 jib that would have been tricky.
Sunday is looking more promising for a practice sail up the same course with the same wind direction but considerably quieter.