Nov. 3, 2009-Sea Trials: Sailing to Yacht Haven
wingssail images-fredrick roswold
Sailing to Yacht Haven
We left with the tide on Tuesday morning and after clearing the tortuous Boat Lagoon Channel set sail in a 15 knot NE wind. The day was cool and we had a good sail. The new sails Ket made for us looked fine and thankfully none of us, myself, Judy, or the boat, have forgotten how to sail.
When asked at the end of a passage how it went a captain likes to be able to say "uneventful" but I can't say that this passage was without drama. After sailing for a while, when the wind went light, we started the engine. Thirty minutes later a water pipe blew off it's fitting and in the 10 seconds it took to stop the engine it dumped about 10 gallons of saltwater on our bed. A couple of new hose clamps fixed the engine but the bed will take some time to dry out even more so after we hauled it out on deck to air out only to have rain begin.
Next the engine quit with what we instantly recognized as fuel starvation. It seems that the port tank was empty. We quickly switched to the starboard tank and are kept our fingers crossed that its level was more accruate then the port's. (It was, we had enough fuel to get to Yacht Haven).
Hurrying under power to make slack water at Yacht Haven we saw an opportunity to add a knot or so by re-hoisting the main when the wind came up from astern. Just as we came into the wind and started to hoist that breeze turned into a 24 knot rain squall and we struggled with setting sail in those condtions. Then when we got the sail up the wind immediately dropped off.
However we made port before the tide started to run strongly, making entance to the marina ill-advised, and were safely docked by 15:00.
So despite the minor dramas the trip was concluded sucessfully and we all passed our sea trials.
Next we have two weeks of work reloading the boat and some additional minor projects before we head off to Malaysia.
Click here to see another shot of the new sails.
Fred & Judy, S/V Wings, Phuket
Sailing to Yacht HavenWe left with the tide on Tuesday morning and after clearing the tortuous Boat Lagoon Channel set sail in a 15 knot NE wind. The day was cool and we had a good sail. The new sails Ket made for us looked fine and thankfully none of us, myself, Judy, or the boat, have forgotten how to sail.
When asked at the end of a passage how it went a captain likes to be able to say "uneventful" but I can't say that this passage was without drama. After sailing for a while, when the wind went light, we started the engine. Thirty minutes later a water pipe blew off it's fitting and in the 10 seconds it took to stop the engine it dumped about 10 gallons of saltwater on our bed. A couple of new hose clamps fixed the engine but the bed will take some time to dry out even more so after we hauled it out on deck to air out only to have rain begin.
Next the engine quit with what we instantly recognized as fuel starvation. It seems that the port tank was empty. We quickly switched to the starboard tank and are kept our fingers crossed that its level was more accruate then the port's. (It was, we had enough fuel to get to Yacht Haven).
Hurrying under power to make slack water at Yacht Haven we saw an opportunity to add a knot or so by re-hoisting the main when the wind came up from astern. Just as we came into the wind and started to hoist that breeze turned into a 24 knot rain squall and we struggled with setting sail in those condtions. Then when we got the sail up the wind immediately dropped off.
However we made port before the tide started to run strongly, making entance to the marina ill-advised, and were safely docked by 15:00.
So despite the minor dramas the trip was concluded sucessfully and we all passed our sea trials.
Next we have two weeks of work reloading the boat and some additional minor projects before we head off to Malaysia.
Click here to see another shot of the new sails.
Fred & Judy, S/V Wings, Phuket
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