Sailing with Nine of Cups
| Vessel Name: | Nine of Cups |
| Vessel Make/Model: | Liberty 458 |
| Hailing Port: | Denver, Colorado, USA |
| Crew: | Marcie & David |
| About: | We've lived aboard Nine of Cups since 2000 and have managed to accumulate 86,000+ nm under the keel since that time. We completed a circumnavigation in April 2015 and managed to sail around the five great southern capes. Come along with us for the ride! |
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07 July 2016 | Us: East Walpole, MA / Cups: Chesapeake, VA
Taking a breather ...
Since we'll be off the boat during July and August, we plan to post only three times per week. The Captain will continue writing a practical Blue View post each week, we'll keep you up to date on what's happening with us and then throw in some cruising nuggets as well.
06 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA
Keeping fit
We’ve written before about keeping fit on the boat. David is so much better at a regimented exercise program than I am. I have all the best intentions, but I can always think of something better to do than sit-ups, push-ups, leg lifts and running in place. It doesn’t take much to distract me. Walking, [...]
04 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA
Happy 240th Birthday, America
Growing up in New England, I took for granted just how lovely a summer’s morning can be in Massachusetts. It’s comfortably cool and everything smells clean and fresh. Spider webs glisten with morning dew and it’s just great to be alive and breathe in the new day. Being back at Lin’s house conjures up wonderful childhood memories of summer mornings past. And this is not just any morning … it’s the 4th of July, the best holiday of the summertime in the USA.
02 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA
Leaving Cups and a Road Trip
Leaving Nine of Cups is never easy. We know she’ll pout while we’re gone and so we do our best to make sure she’s as comfortable as possible before we leave. We were whirling dervishes trying to get everything ready.
01 July 2016 | Virginia Beach, Virginia
Hunting & Gathering - Virginia Beach
We had lots to do before leaving Cups. David was intent on getting as many chores done in advance of our departure as possible so that once we return in September, we can spend time sailing in the Chesapeake rather than doing repairs and maintenance. Much of what we needed in the way of parts and supplies, [...]
Blue View - Whisker Pole Repair
A whisker pole attaches to the front of the mast on its inboard end and extends out either to the starboard or port side of the boat. It lets us “pole out” the head sail to windward on the opposite side of the boat from the mainsail when we are broad reaching or sailing downwind. Without a whisker pole, the mainsail blocks the wind, causing the head sail to flog uselessly. With the whisker pole, we can move the head sail out of the wind-shadow of the mainsail, and both sails pull effectively.
The optimal length of the whisker pole depends on the size of the head sail. Since we have two headsails that are different sizes, rather than have two whisker poles, we have one that telescopes. It has an inner tube that can be extended or retracted to change its length. Our whisker pole is a Forespar with an outer tube that is about 13.5 feet (4.2m) long. It has an inner tube that can be extended another 11 feet (3.4m). Depending on which headsail we are using, we usually extend the inner tube somewhere between 5 to 11 feet (1.5-3.4m).
When it broke, I had this vision of the severed remains of the 24 foot (7m) aluminum pole swinging wildly about as the headsail flogged, puncturing the inflatable on the foredeck and generally wreaking havoc on the deck and topsides. Luckily,the control lines contained the broken pole until I could get the genoa furled. We lashed one part of the pole to the lifelines and the other to the mast. Then we dropped the mainsail and sailed on with only the genoa .
Once we arrived at Cocos Keeling, I assessed the damage. The inner aluminum tube had broken about 4 feet (1.2m) from the inboard end, and another foot (.3m) or so was bent. I thought that if I cut the damaged section off the inside tube and reattached all the bushings and fittings, I would have a shorter, but usable whisker pole.
I will write up the details of the repair on our regular blogsite (JustALittleFurther.com), complete with photos in a few days.
Once everything was back together, we mounted it on its track on the forward side of the mast, and made sure we could extend/retract the inner pole, and raise and lower the entire whisker pole. There are still a few issues, and the jury rigged repair is certainly not perfect, but it will get us the rest of the way across the Indian Ocean – if I can manage to keep from jibing with it again.
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