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Widago - CV Leg (4): Night Moves



As we have now crossed the midway point of this leg to Cape Verde, WIDAGO has decided to up its game by practicing performing repairs, at night, underway, while I'm supposed to be sleeping.

Perhaps this is all part of the romantic life at sea, but I didn't sure read about this in the brochure Ahab showed me five years ago. At that point he was all, "Oh sweetie pie...won't it be amazing gliding downwind, on smooth glasslike trade wind swells. Wind in your hair, eating lobster every night, in a peaceful atoll, listening to CSN singing 'Southern Cross'?" I'm positive at some point it will be like that, but just not today. Instead, we were rolling about on confused mucked up seas, still sailing downwind, my hair is a disaster, but dinner was pretty good. No atolls, yet - or lobster.

Just as I was settling in for my first bedtime (7-11pm), the starboard side lazy sheet of the parasailor, which runs through our Genoa fuller block, was making me pull my eyebrows out with its intermittent creak, creak, creaking. Normally, no big deal - but when you're wide awake trying to fall asleep in the daylight, it's crazymaking. So Ahab, bless his heart, tried to fix the annoying sound cause by the wiggly block of the furling line. Things that shouldn't wiggle on boats but do wiggle, cause all sorts noise, and problems. Case in point. In attempting to tighten the screw of the block, said screw sheared off. Unfortunately, the block/screw was backed by a nut that must have been put in place before the whole was assembled because there is no way to get at it....unless you're Captain Ahab.

So rather than enjoying tossing and turning trying to fall asleep during daylight, I was assistant to the skipper as he decided it was best to try and fix the problem immediately. Honestly, I really think he enjoyed getting out all his tools and drilling holes into the fiberglass. Words don't really do it justice - but let me just explain that not only did his cordless power drill have a fiberglass boring attachment, it also came with its own headlight. In addition, Ahab manage to use his very own dentist rear view mirror do-flicky tool like mine - except it was way cooler than mine, as it also came with LED headlight and adjustable angled mirror. See attached photo.

Long story short, squeaky creaky noise has been resolved. We have a new hole up in the nav station. And Ahab continues to be my hero, even if it did cost me a few precious hours of rack time.
- Ali

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