Rover

Easter Eggs!

09 April 2023 | Underway, 17 degrees 12 minutes N. 122 degrees 05 minutes W
Kristin
Post time is 1508, 4/9/23. Peter on watch, everybody else hanging out

All hands on deck today at 1000! Time to drop the stays’l, rig up the
pole and unfurl the jib. Two hours later, a few hundred feet of line, a
broken shackle, a fixed shackle, 9 squid and 2 flying fish later, success!

The winds are pretty much steady at 14 gusting to 15 off our starboard
quarter so it was time to pole out the jib and settle in for a smooth
ride to the ICTZ. Eric and I tethered in and went forward to get
everything ready on deck. After clearing the deck of the night’s
collateral of squid and flying fish, we dropped the stays’l. We started
in on the spaghetti of foreguys, after guys, topping lifts, sheets,
stowaway guys, etc and carefully worked on getting everything led
through the whisker pole without any tangles or twists. All looked good
until Eric raised the pole at the mast �" a block came off the end
attached to the mast and zing! flew up to the first spreader while
attached to the topping lift. We thought quickly, grabbed a boat hook
and managed to grab the block and gently pull it back down. The shackle
hadn’t been moused, or secured with a bit of wire, so it had worked
itself loose. Thankfully the magic carpet bag of spare parts produced a
properly sized replacement shackle. We were able to reattach the block
and successfully finish setting up the whisker pole and unfurl the jib.
Now we’re cruising along at a smooth 6.5+ knots.

We’ve got marshmallow peeps, chocolate rabbits, and ice cubes in our
water tonight for Sunday/Easter dinner! Patchy blue skies and warming
weather are welcome new norms. Sleeping bags are getting stowed and
lightweight cotton sleep sacks are coming out. Clearing skies and a
waning moon reveals stars overhead and phosphorescent unicorn sparkles
in our wake at night!

Morale remains high.

Kristin
Comments
Vessel Name: Rover
Vessel Make/Model: Valiant 42
Hailing Port: Seattle. WA
Crew: Eric and Linda
About:
We're making a big change to a cruising lifestyle. Eric retired in 2012 after 32 years in R&D (mostly) at HP. Previous passions included flying and bicycling. Linda will retire in 2013 from Oregon State University. She's been active in Zonta, was a Scoutmaster, and is a champion baker. [...]
Extra: Linda was barrel master and Eric participated in the Jackson Street Vintners; a group of friends that made wine from 2000 to 2013
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