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This post was requested by another forumite asking me about my experience.
First thing you do is change your underpants because of the mess caused by the incredible bang as the chainplate shears. Once that is done, you mumble many times, words like "[no thanks], what the [no thanks] should I do now?"
I dropped the main, and released the genoa halyard (mistake no 1) and then attached two spinnaker halyards to the toe-rail and cranked them in fairly tight. By this time, Stingo is rolling like a pig in shyte and with a little help from my panicked state, seasickness set in. With the furling gear swinging about to leeward, it did seem prudent to puke to windward (mistake no 2)
Mistake no 1: If I had left the genoa up, once I had secured the furling gear to the bow-roller, I could have motored around in circles until the genoa had furled. This would have prevented the genoa from shredding. I could not raise it again because it had jammed where the furling track had bent.
The furling drum is finally secured - took over an hour.
Mistake no 2: Puking to windward in 15 - 18 knots of wind means that there will be puke all in your hair/t-shirt/shorts/hands etc as well as all over the foredeck. This makes for a very slippery work surface. No fun when you are trying to secure the forestay/furling drum with half the genoa still raised.
Fortunately, I was only 250 west of Cap Verde and had enough diesel motor all the way. I believe that if I had been another 250 miles south, I probably would have had to press on to Brazil (1800NM) under jury rig because I wouldn't have had enough diesel to motor up-wind to Cap Verde. Very lucky
First thing you do is change your underpants because of the mess caused by the incredible bang as the chainplate shears. Once that is done, you mumble many times, words like "[no thanks], what the [no thanks] should I do now?"
I dropped the main, and released the genoa halyard (mistake no 1) and then attached two spinnaker halyards to the toe-rail and cranked them in fairly tight. By this time, Stingo is rolling like a pig in shyte and with a little help from my panicked state, seasickness set in. With the furling gear swinging about to leeward, it did seem prudent to puke to windward (mistake no 2)
Mistake no 1: If I had left the genoa up, once I had secured the furling gear to the bow-roller, I could have motored around in circles until the genoa had furled. This would have prevented the genoa from shredding. I could not raise it again because it had jammed where the furling track had bent.
The furling drum is finally secured - took over an hour.
Mistake no 2: Puking to windward in 15 - 18 knots of wind means that there will be puke all in your hair/t-shirt/shorts/hands etc as well as all over the foredeck. This makes for a very slippery work surface. No fun when you are trying to secure the forestay/furling drum with half the genoa still raised.
Fortunately, I was only 250 west of Cap Verde and had enough diesel motor all the way. I believe that if I had been another 250 miles south, I probably would have had to press on to Brazil (1800NM) under jury rig because I wouldn't have had enough diesel to motor up-wind to Cap Verde. Very lucky
