Sunday, August 15, 2010

No sailing for a month...

Limping home with just the headsail

One the casualties that occurred over the weekend in Catalina was a torn mainsail. We got underway Saturday afternoon ready for a great sail. There was a good breeze, the sun was out, and the photo boat was out ready to get some great shots of my gorgeous yacht and of us just looking awesome.

We raise the main and kill the engine, and we already start booking. 7 knots and climbing on just the main. Totally pumped and convinced we are going to be the fastest boat out there, we gybe to a better course to unfurl the genoa. As the boom switches sides and the main refills, we hear a loud tearing sound and look up to see the main has ripped itself in half. F*ck!

Anyway, I run forward and brought down the main and stowed the pieces so we could motor back in. Words can't describe how bummed we were to miss out on such a great day for sailing...

Long story short, back in San Diego I go about having a new mainsail built. I knew the old main was going to give out at some point, since it was as old as the boat is, but it was still a bit of a shock to find out how much new sails cost. $3700 for just the main! F*ck my ass, I ought to be in the sail making business.

It's going to be about month before the sail is done, so I have month of not sailing to look forward to. I could go out on just the genoa alone, but we'll see. With this time available, I've decided to look at what jobs I could get jobbed using the time that I would otherwise spend sailing (or drinking):

- find and repair the mysterious fresh water leak
- deep clean the bilge and sump
- install the new sump pump and necessary new plumbing configuration
- fix the separated A/C ducting
- haul out and have the transom repainted and gelcoat repaired
- replace the propeller while the boat is hauled out ($$$$)
- take the clock into a clock maker for troubleshooting (this a pretty low priority, I don't mind that it's always ten after one the clock still looks cool)

Let's see how many I actually get done.
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