Could have lost the mast (again!)

Let’s start with a serious question. Do you visually check the standing rigging on your boat?

We don’t other than once a year when the annual haulout is done. We know we should but the bottom line is, we don’t.

Last week, while still in the boat yard close to Saldanha Bay and on the floating jetty, we did a bit of maintenance. First up was changing the CQR anchor for our new Bruce anchor which we feel is a better anchor. (Can’t afford a Rochna. Yet).

So pottering off to the bow of the boat and watching he doesn’t knock his toes, the Captain spotted that the pin holding the main shroud/foresail at the bottom had sheared halfway off and was hanging by a thread……NOT good news at all. (See Captain’s professional drawings).

With the help of a friendly yachtie also staying on the jetty, the back 4 stays were first loosened and then a rope was tied around the forestay and the load taken off in the front using the anchor winch.

The sheared pin could then be loosened and pulled out and a new one inserted, luckily we had one on board. Again, cannot stress enough how important it is to carry spares and then spares of your spares. For everything!

Could have been an utter disaster, genoa could have gone flying uncontrollably had we been out sailing (which we had done a few days prior), even taking the mast down (been there, done that) as there would have been no more support from the front.

Never a dull moment.

On a personal note, Captain Underpants has a few health issues that have unfortunately to be taken care of before we can contemplate sailing to Cape Town, never mind Madagascar in 2024. Who knows what next year will bring for Captain and First Wench on SV Knowind, but whatever it is, you can be damn sure that we will have fun doing it.

All the very best Seasons Greetings to everyone and we wish you all an amazing, peaceful, healthy and prosperous 2024.

Captain Mike and Nikki.