Just a quick check-in on a busy day and busy night watch!

We made it well south of 25 degrees by Sunday. Met Bob says to be ready for squash zone winds tomorrow anyway:

“Tomorrow at brunch near 27S brace for brief squash zone with this HIGH
Expect 25kt SE winds and 3m swells maybe some showers for a few hours .”

So to be ready I bent the staysail on during my morning watch, and rigged lines so it can be lowered from the cockpit. It was nice sailing most of the day, but on the afternoon watch the wind increased and we put in a second reef. We are pointing as high as we can so that we will have room to run off during the stronger winds without hitting the seamount turbulence to our west.

At the end of my afternoon watch, the brand new turning block for the wind vane control lines broke its swivel pin, so we lost our self steering until i jury rigged a repair with a screw and an old bronze grab shackle.

The wind has continued to increase, and my evening nap was interrupted by flogging sails and a worried one in Rob8ns voice as the apparent wind increased to 24 and 25 knots. I put in a third reef, and re-tied down the staysail on deck, getting thoroughly soaked in the process. Then the bronze shackle on the wind vane control line repair broke, and we were without the windvane again.

That's how my night watch started. I let our steering clamp steer the vita for a while, which works well on the wind, but it lets go from time to time. Just like we call the windvane steering “Aunt Mabel” we call the wheel clamp “Helmlock Steermensch,” another faithful but quirky extra crew member.

I repaired the turning block again in the cockpit in the dark and spray, trying not to lose the ring pins and “wingding” cotter pins that hold the assembly together. I am hoping this will stay together for the squash zone in the morning, which looks to last 12 hours according to all the weather models.