Part 2. El convidado de piedra
Being a vocational sailor, it took me two years and four inter-semester trips to sail from the Lake District to somewhat warmer Spanish Costa Blanca. That is by all means a very satisfying sail when you steadily maintain 180 on the compass. Literally each next stop brings you better weather and higher temperatures, and the sailing season gets longer each and every leg. Unimaginable for the most of the UK, Christmas 2018 we celebrated with my partner sailing from Gijon to La Corunha, although pretty cold it was. During the following month we peacefully went round the Cabo de Finisterre and enjoyed the mild Portuguese winter in Porto and Lisbon. Admittedly, getting there has required some luck dealing with the Neptune, or at least some lack of errors dealing with the sails.
In September 2018 I set sail from the Saltash Sailing Club (thanks @Will!) and headed across the Channel. The idea was to pass Ushant close enough to get an updated forecast over the GSM (no satellites on the boats of this price range, sorry) and either shelter somewhere on the French coast, or continue across the Biscay. After almost exactly 24h of sail I was there, and next days were promised to be all fine. And they were fine indeed. Some swell, but already dying away, smooth and tender. Following winds, sometimes dying as well, but not quite and at times giving Amorosa steady 5kts SOG. Neptune was kind to me, the problem of course came from inside.
On the third night, after I had been too soggy during the day to keep the trim, when the darkness and strengthening wind were there to make things easier, I came up with the idea to reduce the genoa. It was then that I saw Don Gonzalo nodding at me, although I had never invited him. The aftstay slacked almost touching my head and the whole mast leaned over me with the bow of the stone guest. I managed to escape the supper though, but since then I know exactly why I will always worship the following winds: the pressure on the main kept the mast in its place when no forestay was there any more.
I could blame the notorious Biscay Bay for my near disaster, but that would not be fair. It was my fault, and nobody's else. One can count the mistakes I did and wrong attitudes I took (see the list at the end). All in all, my forestay parted upon the genoa being furled in, and the whole clot fell on the deck. Nothing was holding the mast fore. With trembling hands it took me what seemed to be an hour to tie a spare halyard at the bow and bouse taut the mast. The following 5 minutes lying on the berth, gasping in the dark and trying to recompose myself was the most despaired time I have ever spent on my boat. Later on I would write in the logbook that the leaning mast would be my very personal sailing nightmare.
The French coast was 80 nm headwinds, Gijon – 180 nm downwind, an easy choice. It took two more days to arrive safely at Gijon's harbour. On the fifth day at 5pm I saw terra, and moored six hours later, welcomed by the nicest spicy smell of Spanish cuisine penetrating my nostrils after exactly 100 hours at sea.
It was this way, not unlike the Kafka's execution machine, that all my cuts and tries were being inscribed into my skin. It was gradually delivering the mystical experience of learning how to sail properly, and what to enjoy in sailing. I was also starting to learn to sail like a cat, literally being a cat, although I would realise it only when a real cat would come aboard. Sleep all the time, but keep alert, rest all through the day - you never know when you will have to stay awake, never be worried beforehand, but always be prepared. Well, I am not sure about the last one, I don't actually know if cats somehow prepare themselves for human misbehaviors but apparently the felines are always ready to withstand the elements (us humans, I mean). So should be we.
Direct causes of failure: winching the furling line.
Indirect causes:
(probable) forestay fatigue, low aftstay tension, low halyard tension.
Lessons
Check the standing rigging in general, and the forestay for this particular failure: halyard wrap.
Keep the halyard tensioned, and when furling the genoa tension the aftstay some more.
Always check the cause if anything is not working as supposed.
Never ever wait till dark for a sail change.
May 2018: Whiteheaven – Saltash; September 2018: Saltash – Gijon; January 2019: Gijon – Sesimbra, May 2019: Sesimbra – Adra; September 2019: Adra – Torrevieja.