Kaimusailing

The north wind that blew us down the coast into Georgetown town also brought cold weather. This is the fall weather pattern of the past few years, very cold air rushing down from Canada and overlaying the continent with frigid weather. You can take advantage of this fair wind, if a gale can be considered fair, but the price in frigid temperatures takes its toll.
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I didn't have much bedding that wasn't wet, damp, or sodden with seawater. I had an old Polish blanket that my cousins brought many years ago and I had kept as a relic. It was dry, so I used it as the dry layer underneath. I had an old quilt that was blue and white and threadbare. It was dry, so I used it as my blanket. I slept in the cold and didn't fare too badly. Unfortunately the space heater was not reliable. It would heat the cabin if it worked, but that heat wouldn't make it into the bunk. Maybe I can install a fan or something someday.
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The galley sink was full of dirty pots and pans and dishes, there was no opportunity to clean them during the storm. I grabbed a clean frying pan to fry up some eggs and bread and added that to the dish pile.
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The forecast for the day was light and variable winds. Later during the week the wind would pick up again. A rigger would prefer light and variable to go up the mast to attend to the roller furler mess. I wasn't eager to do it, but I couldn't find a local rigger using Google, even though the Coast Guard had said there was one there somewhere.
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It was time to activate the electric bos'un's chair again. The batteries were low, so I jumpered them to the engine battery, started it, and charged them up while I got thing ready.
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This was methodical business like work. I was at a low point as far as having energy or enthusiasm. I made sure I had a proper safety line and a clear hoist up to where the headstay was fastened to the mast. I noticed the spinnaker halyard had parted due to chafe and was now laid over the steaming light. It was not available for this hoist. I used the standing part of the topping lift as the safety line and the main halyard as the hoist.
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Now I tensioned the staysail halyard forward to take tension off the headstay and popped the pin out of the bridle forward. The headstay was lashed to the bridle with some slack. Now the genoa halyard was tensioned, hopefully to relieve the pin at the top so it could be removed.
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Up I went in the bos'un's chair. The batteries were not fully charged but seemed to be doing the job. It was later in the day and good light to take a picture. I didn't have the cell phone camera with me. I had a small pail of tools and a couple of dead batteries to balance the chair. The winch that was grinding away hoisting me up had a nasty clip that rotated right at my hip and would leave a nasty bruise, except I used a stainless steel small mixing bowl to cover the clip.
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At the top I found the halyard had wrapped around the furler and the top two foils were not connected. It didn't matter, I was done with that recurring problem. The pin was removed and down I came. Sorry no pictures.
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I could see there was some attention on shore, which was not too far away, of that catamaran sailboat and the skipper going up and down the mast with that flapping sail. Down on deck I heard a passing sailboat and the woman on board said, “That looks like a bad day”.
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I could lower the headstay, furler, and flapping sail. I did lower it a bit, but my energy was gone and I left the bos'un's chair gear still hoisted, the headstay still mostly up, and I retreated to the galley cabin. I had another quilt dried in the clear air of the day. It would not be as cold tonight. The weather was warming day by day.
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I made a concoction that was edible but not to be recommended. Before I started cooking and was still on deck, a fellow rowed over from one of the boats in the anchorage. He was strange looking and had a British accent. He said his name was “Mad Dog” and offered to help me, now at the end of the day. I said I was done and was going to make some sort of Thai Mackerel. He said he often did the same. He rowed away.
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The Thai Mackerel was something like my Ole Mole Chili and some rice on the side to help slake the spices. I need to research my spice mixture, because when you're at sea you will eat just about anything, but this was not something to make at home. Don't try it at home.
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I did take some pictures of the waterfront here. Here is one of them.