45° 32" 30' N
19° 23" 45' W
0640 UTC
06.06.08
s/y flying cloud
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apparently tomorrow's task, should i choose to accept, is to put in and take out about 20 reefs, if the weather stays as so. we've been motoring since 0945h yesterday to try and escape this high pressure system - at times the gennaker, our largest sail, has been out. at times away. mostly the main has been out as well, but to little effect. we need 15 knots of apparent wind to fly the gennaker and i think for the better part of my last watch we had 3 or 5.
afternoon watch was entertaining, however. today we were invited to expect a surprise inspection of quarters. the contention being that in the event of an event, it's not right to wade through a mess to find out where a leak is, where a fire is, or what have you. the aft cabins are a more complicated story but on this leg i am in my forward spot. this was marilyn's and before that rose's bunk. somehow i got negotiated out of it an into the spacious owner's cabin on the first crossing. no problem. this one is great though, and i sleep very well here. though we haven't had any heavy seas.
inspection being threatened, i deduced that there was just not that much to do; or maybe matthew is bored. or maybe (gasp) we're ahead of the chore-list. and so today i thought i'd work at continuing my education, sadly neglected from Antigua to Açores due to my little not-being-able-to-use-my-right-hand-for-much-of-anything problem. that's mostly or entirely not a problem anymore. about time!
i aksed what i was to learn next, knowing full well that reefing the main was on the short list, and Lo! reefing the main. note taking. diagram making. then a break to attempt the bread experiment.
in Antigua, a day or two after discombobulating (is that a word?) my hand, i happened upon a group of merry-makers camped out behind the transom of some classic yacht or another in english harbour. i think this was the day alex-the-keyboard-player-reportedly-descended-from-pirates told me that i should draw this symbol on my hand and that it would help it heal. he also told me i should come to his open stage and play bass.
en route, i found revelry. at the revelry i met this south african fellow who plays 'jurassic rock.' we played together some and he insisted that i take his guitar back to my boat and play it in my (all of my) spare time the following day. after breakfast, no, before breakfast, maybe instead of breakfast i sat in the shade with a coffee and played 'every little thing she does is magic' and i think 'wish you were here,' though exactly why i chose to play the latter is somewhat beyond me. and then to work. all day.
that evening we had a classic matthew bbq and the vision of francis (the jurassic south african) was suddenly realized. we played some more and entertained the troops with all the hits. 'love me do,' 'lola,' '(don't go back to) rockville' and many, many more. he gave me a bread recipe. i wrote it down. it works. i made it today. not a brick, but a loaf.
reefing the main.
went well-ish. shaking out the reef, less so. but i aksed jenny for guidance which i think was good for all of us. i needed the help and it's good to learn about the boaty stuff from more than one person. all fun. then i put out the gennaker and, taking matt's advice, 'first by hand and then one wrap, etc.' i started pulling the gen out 'by hand.' the danger in taking instructions literally or trying to universally apply information specific to one task. yes, the gennaker sheet /should/ be on a winch the /entire/ time ~ even in 4 knots apparent. it's a gigantic sail and the winch must must be in the way. learning curve.
