Monday 26 November 2018

When things start going wrong... About 0600 there was a bang and we broached from straight downwind. Mainsail out to port was holding starboard side to windward and although we still had five knots of way, full helm would not begin to turn us back toward course. Started engine and was barely able with high revs to turn off, but steering very difficult and couldn't keep a heading so veered off to port. Main jibed over. Jibe Easy kept it under control, but then it went back the other way and boom apparently lifted pulling the vang apart. Only option was to lie ahull in 25 knot wind and peaky 2.5 to 3 meter sea. Got the main furled and boom secure, but steering still hard and unable to steer a course downwind within 40 degrees. By adjusting power and using aggressive rudder, control got a bit better. Jan then unfurled the staysail to increase windage forward, I put the autopilot on maximum response and it has been able to maintain within 10 or 15 degrees either side of a line toward Richard's Bay. Once stabilized, was able to go out, remove vang, which was doing bad things to our windscreen, and lash it to side rail. Hope auto pilot ram holds on working this hard. We do have a spare and if necessary could heave to periodically to rest. Would take too much strength and attention to hand steer for 18 hours straight.

Going to be interesting to find out what happened. Steering quadrant looks normal and don't hear any untoward noises from wheel pedestal or along cable run so have to suspect some structural damage to rudder. May have a haul-out in our near future to diagnose. Jan just suggested a possible cause. We could have hit a whale, which is not an unusual occurrence in this area, and bent the skeg or rudder. It's harder to turn one direction than the other so that makes some sense.

If that weren't enough, wind has come around to 150 off starboard bow (30 degrees from dead astern) and when we roll to port, helped by staysail, an engine RPM related vibration shakes the whole boat. Suspect broken engine mount. Could conceivably relate to steering issue. However, slight vibration was noted before only with engine running and sails up when getting smacked to port. Since we've been on port tack (getting smacked to starboard) for nearly the entire Indian it may not have presented so much previously.

Wind was originally to ease by 1400, about four hours from now, but latest indicates not until 1800. Then decreasing to eventually light and variable. That should help especially if the sea drops commensurately.

As sagely put by Captain Ron, "If it's going to happen, it'll happen out there". Words to live by.

Jack