We set off for the start line of the second leg of our Atlantic Crossing full of excitement and high expectations. We had been blown away by the performance of Saoirse and our butterfly on the leg down from Las Palmas and we were hoping to improve upon that on this next leg. We had visions of popping the butterfly just moments before the start gun and sailing off into the great blue yonder with this magnificent sight out in front of us. Things however did not quite go to plan. Do they ever? Moments before the gun we went as planned to pop the sail, but unfortunately pop she did not. It was jammed. Where is it jammed? Why isn’t it coming? Is it stuck on something?
Nothing for it, I had to go forward to the bow to see what was going on, whereupon it became clear that it was twisted and the only way to solve the issue would be to drop the sail, unravel it, try as best possible to re-furl this gigantic beauty on the deck in 18/20 knots and then hoist her up again and hope for the best. Wolf’s brother Heiko who is popping his sailing cherry on this Atlantic crossing was thrown head first into a baptism of fire. The sail was too heavy for me alone to pull down in the wind, so with no time at all to get his sea legs he was called out on deck to help. It was all pretty hectic, after much yanking, pulling, tugging, twisting and a not insignificant amount of shouting, it looked like we may have cracked it. Wolf pulled her back up from the cockpit and Heiko and I went back to man the sheets and pull as she unfurled. Ready? Says Wolf. Yep we say and held our breath. Ahhhhh out she came, as magnificent as ever, if a little late! So how do you like sailing so far Heiko we ask laughing. I’ve come a little bit late to the party he says, but it’s pretty damn cool.
Having looked at the forecast our strategy was to head South as we expected the wind to die further to the North within a few days. We were flying, keeping up with the 51 foot Trimaran (well until she popped her parasail) but even still. It was awesome, sun shining, gorgeous 18-20 knots of breeze, small white horses beginning to appear looking brilliant against the awesome blue sea. As sailing should be. The perfect ride. Then of course everything settled down a bit. The forecast for the crossing is moderate winds so it’s highly likely (touch wood) that we won’t see that kind of action again we tell Heiko. That’s good he says, it was cool an’ all but a nice calm passage would suit me just fine. Famous last words. It wasn’t long, before we noticed the furl of the butterfly was sitting very high up and we realised it had pulled the bow spirit off the front of the boat. It looks bad, and it will need repairing but given the forecast it should hold for the crossing we decide with blind optimism. It did mean however that the angle was now too high to furl the sail, which means we can’t reef her and we can’t get her in. NOT GOOD! What was it we were just saying about the peaceful calm crossing ahead of us? Was that fake wood we touched?
So this time it was Wolf’s turn to brave the bow. Waves pretty large, the boat was rolling fairly heavily. He was strapped on but being knocked about a good bit. After some investigation he comes back and confirms that furling, or reefing is definitely not now possible, we will have to find a work around. Tools out and back he goes. So we re-rig the furling line, move the pully through which it feeds higher up on the stanchion and route it back to the cockpit. Angle looks better but now it’s rubbing on the sharp ratchets on the straps holding the jerry cans fast to the bow. Potential for another jerry can disaster which we were certainly not going to entertain after the trouble we had on the sail down from Las Palmas. Further great potential for some pretty fatal chaffing of the sheets. Nothing for it but to whack a whole load of a sailor’s best friend all over the ratchet. Good ol’ duct tape. Wonder stuff. Ok, let’s see if it works. Wolf concludes someone will have to be on the deck to feed it through but it ought to work. Holding our breaths again, with Wolf on the deck and Heiko and I manning the sheets and endless line in the cockpit we give it a go. It works, thank God for that. So we can still sail with the butterfly. Phew, ok now it’s time to chill. That’s it for the rest of the passage. The rest of the day passed pretty uneventfully as we started to get into our rhythm.
I woke the next morning to news that there was a rip in the sail! Whaaaat? How? We had a max of maybe 16 knots through the night. We couldn’t understand it. It looked like a bird may have tried to fly through it but who knows. In any event, we had to take our gigantic wounded butterfly down into the boat to try to repair her. I thought you said this should be a nice easy relaxed passage says Heiko. Clearly we haven’t a clue what we are on about we say. Don’t listen to a word we say from now on. Just goes to show anything can happen in any winds.
So Wolf and I haul her down through the forecabin’s sky window and into the salon. Unfurl her so that she is covering every inch of the salon to find the hole and do a quick repair. Leave it for an hour and we are ready to put her back up. Hmmmm how exactly are we going to manage that. So we try our best to hand furl her and then bring her back up on deck and hoist. Now for the moment of truth. Pop her out. No, No, STOP, STOOOOOP. It’s twisted, the sheet is twisted, shit, back down she comes onto the deck.
Thankfully the wind had mercifully died to about 10 knots so we weren’t battling to keep our magnificent beauty on deck as we unfurled her to find the problem and then had to try to re-pack her. I don’t know how we are going to manage this says Wolf. We just will I say, we always do. So as Wolf and I laboured in the scorching heat for about 2 hours trying to sort the sail out, poor Heiko was stuck in the cockpit with our two monsters who were NOT getting on that day. We could hear them screaming from the bow. We probably have the better job her I think, poor ol’ Heiko. I am sure he thought more than once about just diving over board and making a swim for it back to land. In the end, after a champion effort and tremendous teamwork we hoisted her back up, held our breaths, 1,2,3 out she comes........ahhhhhhh what a bloody beauty. All worth it. We are flying again.
So, day one pretty action packed. Let’s see what the next few days will bring.
That’s the Saoirse crew out until the next time.
Stay tuned.
By Aisling Fenix
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