Diary 12 April 2006

Today we are going to do a bit of sail handling.First job is to shake out the reef on the Stormars, the top sail on the main mast. It's time to make the sail bigger again after having been through a blow.First of all we must lower the yard by easing the halyard and hauling on the clews. This takes a lot of weight out of the sail. Then a couple of people climb the shrouds to attach a sling and tackle which is made fast to reduce the lateral movement of the yard. These yards aren't fixed to the mast, they have some movement to take full advantage of the wind. Without the sling and tackle the mast can rock violently from side to side. This is what happened the first time our watch went to furl the fore topsail.

Usually one person will go out to the yardarm, the last half meter or so of the yard, and start untying the revsejsing. The revsejsing is taking a lot of the weight at the edge of the sail. Then two people will work out from the mast loosening and releasing the reefs.Now remember that we've just been through a gale and there has been a lot of weight on these reef points. It takes a lot of patience and a marlin spike to shift them. I look at the first two I'm supposed to undo and know that I am looking at Mission Impossible. The knot has slid under some rope and it's not coming out. I call down to Micheal that we are going to have to cut them. Luckily Mia is there to oversee the job. I can just hear everyone thinking we send the Australian to untie a few knots and she wants to use a knife! Mia has been on a previous leg and is quite savvy. Not only does she confirm my observation but she has a knife! I leave it up to her to do the deed.Lisa and I work our way out. Lisa is a snuff dipping diminutive woman who lives above the artic circle in Sweden. She's compact, wiry and very fit. For fun she cross country ski's and mushes her two dogs. Lisa is doing the hard wörk, she has a pick and is working the knots loose. I'm moving out the yard with her and am supposed to keep the weight off the knot she's working on. The whole exercise takes us 50 minutes, and that's not bad!

Next challenge, set the mizzen. The mizzen is quite a small sail. Everything goes like clockwork until I am easing the windward brace and it runs through my hands. What the!! I remember we set this sail a week ago and there wasn't a problem. How come this rope is so short? Micheal gets me to belay it on the rail while we figure out what to do. Nothing for it but to replace the rope. I'm thinking I will put an eye splice in the end of rope then cut the rope ring that attatches it to the gaff.

Fortunately Marie-Louise sees me with a knife in my hand and I tell her my plan.Wrong.I have to unsplice the old line and splice on a new one onto the rope ring. That should only take half an hour or so. The ring I was looking at cutting would be a major job, and one that Marie-Louise has done before and has no desire to repeat today.As I am separating the strands of the rope that feel like they have petrified I ask Marie-Louise what do the people on board have against synthetic rope, it's lighter stronger and cheaper. I take the precaution of telling her before I say this that I am joking. I am well aware of the dedication it has taken to build this ship. Marie-Louise has been with the project four years and had a baby girl 8 months ago. I can only imagine how torn she must be between her baby the ship and her baby girl. We work through some nuances of language while I am splicing.I love to be able to look at a piece of work I have done on the ship. It means I leave a part of me with her and we will be forever linked.Half an hour turns out to be ten minutes short, I'm called to line up. I debate whether or nor to finish the job or eat lunch. Then I come to my senses and realize that lunch will be available for half an hour, the splicing will be here until I finish it.It's a sunny day so a pleasure to be workng on deck. Marie-Louise and I are wrapping up the job when Klaus and Jans call up from the weather deck. That rope isn't too short, you have just haven't changed the position of the hook.What?? You can see the flash of recognition cross both our faces like lightning in a thunder storm. Of course. That's why it was long enough the other day. This sail is set very infrequently and I couldn't remember if we had set it to starboard earlier.Nothing for it but to change out the line again! I had to laugh about that. I personally will never forget to move the hook on the mizzen brace again, nor will Marie-Louise.

Jenny 17