Ep. 46 Nothing From Nothing
08 December 2024 | Lukaya
Bill Bernaerts | Cooler and windy

https://youtu.be/0MluxWirpKc?si=a9CiLOHim6UTaL-T
The hard thing about writing a blog is finding things to cover when not a lot is happening. Compared to the first 2 months of our trip, where every day was packed with scenery and/or events along the way, sitting in a marina is pretty laid back. Grand Bahama Island is fairly large in comparison to other islands in the nation, but there really isn't a lot to see or do here aside from the natural beauty of the beaches and reefs.
https://youtu.be/EQnaRtNMGMI?si=7Au7rURze1mzeOHn
Having a car for the past few days allowed us the opportunity travel a good part of the island and hit some of the stores and bakeries. One of the things I am looking for is a whisker pole fitting for my mast. A whisker pole is used to hold the clew (rear corner) of the jib out perpendicular to the keel of the boat when you are heading down wind so it catches as much wind as possible and doesn't flap. I had made a pole from fittings I got off kijiji and all I need is the mast attachment.
New units are very expensive so I was hoping to find something suitable at a marine wreckers here on the island. But after trips to 4 marine stores I have come up empty. No one here carries sailboat parts either new or used, and the 1 wrecker located in an adjacent channel to the marina, where there are many wrecked and even sunken boats, appears not to be open for business. I dinghies over but was treated by 3 very large and agitated security dogs. Fortunately they didn't jump into the water to greet me. So, in the meantime I will have to jury rig something while I keep an eye out for a wrecked or abandoned boat with the fittings I need.
Had another MyGyver episode as we needed a way to get back into the dinghy while snorkelling. We tried a loop of rope from the front cleat to the back which helped a bit but it was still a bit awkward for Sam to get in. So I found a piece of 1" pex plastic pipe and cut 4 rungs which are hung from rope side rails (not sure what the rope equivalent of rails is) and snap it onto an attachment on the boat. We need to field trial it now but the wind is predicted to be very strong for the next week so that will have to wait.
Today's photo is a DIY idea I found online for a whisker pole attachment. This could be a good Nike ad with the caption "Just Don't It!"