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Beltana II - What does it take to keep the big hammer out of the skippers hands



1 dentist to explain why its not a good idea and 3 other engineers to restrain him.
 
We get daily updates from ARC of the problems other yachts are having. It’s always a concern to hear, and many of those problems we hope don’t happen to us.  Here is a list of some of the things which have been taking up our time and stopping us from writing to you all more regularly.
 
1) Ripped Genoa 2.5m tear – repaired with a combination of sail tape (only had about 1m) and duct tape, then hand sewn together with the squally Kemp bobbin technique
2) Ripped Spinnaker – repaired with duct tape and hand sewn
3) lost batten from main sail – twice re-sewn into place, twice tore through the repair material – batten removed
4) Broken Preventer Block – gerry rigged with webbing, second rope preventer added for safety
5) broken lazy jacks (holds the sail bag) – climbed the mast, reattached, and rope tied to the shrouds as additional backup
6) torn sheath on mainsheet halyard – had to strip off about 6m off the sheath (this took about 6hours) and started at night beating into wind, whilst trying to reef. Then swapped with topping lift.
7) unscrewed topping lift shackle – Graham climbed out to the boom to replace this one
8) Main water tank leak – water conservation protocol initiated
9) rope around the prop – John went swimming to get rid of this one
10) Traveller Block broken – replacement piece rigged
11) Blocked Head – cleared
12) Blocked Head – next time more vegetarian meals
13) Autopilot not working – JC has been working on this for 3 weeks, as of day 21 its been isolated to a faulty solenoid...we think
14) Genset – lost power 4 times, no sure why
15) Regulator Box on top of Genset – mounting blocks failed
16) Battery Charger – cutting out, not entirely sure why, loose connection on 12V side
17) SSB radio – not tuned to appropriate frequency’s for comms – thank goodness for Jon keeping the instruction manual
18) VHF – not working, repaired
19) Vanishing – boat not sparkling to skippers standards
20) Whippings all around – even some involving twine, enjoyed by all
21) Corrosion Chiseled Off corroded terminals
22) 3 Bilge pumps needing repair – none currently leak, one still requires attention
23) Perfectly functioning one way valve on galley sink – Graham established its perfect function after 2 hours of drainage exploration and disassembly (confirmation exercise)
24) Dodge cover repaired
25) Deciding whether to have a 2 or 3 course dinner, and which would be the best accompanying wine.
 
JM
 
 
 
 

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