Blue Moon - day 7 blog blue moon

It all happend in one second…flying the kite -gennaker with backwind smoothly downwind 170degrees, then a burst “baamm”…the whole kite falls down in slowmotion on our portside… i feel it happening while im steering the helm…
Thalita bring us back to reality in no time…all hands on deck she says a bit louder and faster then her usual calm way to talk with us normally.
So we move very quickly to our port-side to get in the kite before it gets tangled under the boat.

We managed to get it safely back on deck even so in a bit twisted way…
What happened and why could he let go on top of our mast head?
There was a very strong dyneema soft buckle attached with a steel shackle and a block.
So this dyneema buckle let go …due to a strong continuous force with banging and a big huge kite pulling on it all the time…
Somehow we have to fix this very important piece on the top of the mast under full sail and speed in the middle of the Atlantic.
Thalita asked me to get up there and we discussed how we will fix it, specially in a safe way …
My equipment is a helmet and a climbing harness attached to two halyards (11mm semistatic rope ) from the top of the mast. They are back secured in the cockpit and pulled by two winches …and they helped me to climb the mast at the front side of it. I also have two spear steel shackles and a multitool with me to change and remove the broken buckle with a new steel shackle.
All hands on deck …everybody on there position.
Last check of my attachment with the ropes and off we go…
The boat is moving from one side to the other, from front the back.
I try to hold myself close to the mast while they help me to climb.
It is a swinging climb to hold myself close to the mast. As I get higher the cranking of the boat gets stronger and i feel how much i have to trust my crew-members and our skipper .
17m to climb and it gets harder and more shaky. I need to concentrate and my core muscles are already in full tension, im afraid to get seasick in no time with this banging from one side to the other. But i arrive the head of the mast safely in a swing from about 4-5 m.
What a wunderfull view from the top, over the Atlantic and the endless sea, down to the little sailing vessel  Blue Moon and my crew members, its a crazy feeling between neverending horizon and bluewater allover. Never before have i had such an experience … feeling very little and vulnerable. Then a bang and a swing to right side and forward brings me back to the reality…. Im still on the top of the mast and have to finish my job as soon as possible…
Dont look down i say to myself and stay focused.
With a few movements  i can change the shackle and attached the halyard to it.
Job done…ohh my core muscles start to tell me how much they have been used the last fifteen minutes…crazy..
My sign is clear to the winch men, only down down down…its hot up here, sweating in the helmet and my gear…sun is burning down and still swinging around like a pendulum…

Happy landing on deck of Blue Moon, feels like standing on safe earth again, but it’s still a moving boat in the middle of the ocean…
Very thankful and happy to be with a safe crew and done a job like never before…

Soon later our kite is running again in full form and moving us forward with 7-9knots, jehaaa