Well, what an eventful 48 hours we've had and what a sense of humour failure I've had!
The scene: Thursday 1700. The winds died down and became flukey. Then we hit a squall and thought good this will keep us going. Much merriment as we decide to have our celebratory drink a little early. Then, as the light faded, and I've now learnt that fading light is always the time when if things are going to go wrong, they will, the wind completely died and we were left wallowing around. The sea was oily calm so we thought we would motor on to try to find the wind.. Switched on the engine - nothing. We took it in turns to see if one of us would be lucky. Nothing. Graham then thought as we weren't sailing the hydrovane should be disabled. He found that in a short time of lolloping around it had been knackered. No engine, no hydrovane, no sun therefore no solar panel and maybe not enough water to get us to St Lucia if the wind failed for a long time. Also would we have enough fuel anyway. You can see the scenario developing in my mind!
So Peter puts on his swimmers and goes over the side to retrieve the hydrovane rudder. By the time it was safely tied down on deck it was 0300. I went on watch so that Graham and Peter could get some rest and I watched as we drifted about.
Saturday 0700: Peter and Graham set to to see if they could discover the reason for the engine not starting. I watched gloomily! After all morning of drilling to get the control panel off and then Peter rigging up a new
switch, the blooming engine started on it's own, without the help of the new switch. My spirits soared - hooray and joy. Put the water maker on (one worry reduced), topped up the batteries (another worry eased) and the sun was shining. Life was good again. We motored and then sailed as the wind picked up. I was joking saying that no wind was much worse than too much wind. How wrong I was!
There we were sailing in pleasant winds of force 4 - 5 remarking on the way the clouds were billowing upwards when suddenly the boat was heeling sharply and Graham was calling for help to put some reefs in as the wind had got up to 30 knots plus. Remember that Annie has to be hand steered now if the winds are strong. Graham took a wave that soaked him so Peter took over the helm. He was laughing and enjoying the experience until I saw his gaze fix on the wind dial. 49 knots of wind! I sat in the companion way to offer moral support when suddenly Peter disappeared under a torrent of water, which made it's way all over me too. If I hadn't been sitting there it would have made it's way down the steps into the saloon. The same huge wave also gushed into the forepeak cabin down a vent and into the heads.
All night the gale howled with waves smashing Annie's hull but she sailed calmly on, 3 reefs in the main and a genoa the size of a handkerchief, making 4 - 5 knots. What a star! Peter and Graham did 1 1/2 hours on, turn by turn all night, gradually filling up the saloon with soaking clothes. I tried to sleep so that I would be ready to go on watch once the wind abated.
Sunday 0600: The gale eventually died down and I went on watch while G and P went below for a sleep. I hung out all the soaking clothes to dry in the sunshine so that we would be ready in case of a repeat night.
Until then Cheerio
Pip
ps at least we are a little closer to St Lucia than we were.