Cuvee - Day 5-8 Clear sailing and then “Bang”

How things change! We passed half way yesterday and celebrated with Magnam Ice creams! Have had the asymmetric poled out for 6 days and averaged a speed of 8.2 kts yesterday. It was all to easy.
Mond 25 Nov- 2 days ago went to turn the genset on and the circuit wouldn’t switch the house power on! Dived for the manual which didn’t help much and then remembered there was a little lever I wasn’t supposed to lose kept in the map table that had something to do with power! That panel is behind, no under, no hat’s right it’s in the rear starboard transom. Mmmm we stacked and tied down 5 jerry cans in front of that! Push and shove and there we are I can get the key in and we have 240 power.

Tues 26 Nov we jibed to port tack as the wind was pushing us north. Tried to snuff the G1 that has been up for 6 days. Had moved the spin halyard up and down a small amount every few days to try and reduce any chaffing that may occur. Don’t think this worked as yesterday trying to snuff the halyard gave way and we now have a frayed red spinnaker halyard can be seen at the top of the mast. Sailed last night with the staysail poled out and are taking a risk with no topper as we need the angle. This morning went back to address the other halyard stuck up there, the jenoa halyard and tried to retrieve it with a loop on a pull line that we pulled up on the bom topper. We got the loop over the drum but couldn’t pull it down. On review we think the centre of the sliding drum maybe keyed out to the foiled shape of the forestay so won’t slide down. We have a 1-2m swell and are still managing 5-7 kts and are waiting for some calmer weather forecast to go up the mast. Back to Plan A and wait for wind and sea to calm which it is expected not over next 24hrs.

Weds 27 NovSpoke to Wild Spirit yesterday and today the other Aussie boat. They to have had breakages, particularly ropes and ended up wrapping their spinnaker around their forestay last night. No other boats around much, one small 56m yacht passed under us the previous night and that’s been it for 4 days.

Thurs 28 Nov - Health of the crew varies. Our sea sick member is improving and been up, suffering waves of sea sickness rather than being bed bound with it now. Of course they managed an ice-cream when we celebrated half way and has kept the last 2 dinners down so looking better. “Man flu” has hit the boat, where does it come from with all this isolation and clean air around us? Must have been brought aboard and no one owning up to it.