There was almost no wind in the anchorage yesterday. That was good news. We love our new sails but there is one small problem which I may have mentioned before. The second and third panels have a tendency to vibrate by the mast. I’d mentioned this to the sailmaker. He offered to fix it on warranty but was swamped with work. Last week when we thought we’d be on our way soon we agreed to take the parts from him and do it ourselves. We had the time and the conditions were perfect so I spent a couple of hours sewing four extra sliders onto the sail. These won’t be load bearing but will serve to prevent the vibrations.
After this was finished we went ashore to walk the old railway line that used to terminate here. It was a bit brambly in places but it got us out. We walked the roads back and found a path through some woods which we explored for a while. While out we picked up a nut and washer to replace the one underneath one of our floorboards. This fix removed an annoying squeak.
Friday is now shaping up to be the start of a terrific passage. I’m holding open the possibility of a Thursday departure but that’s now looking less likely. Leaving on a Friday certainly divides the sailing community and a Friday the 13th is simply not on for some. Good news for us as this will mean fewer queues at the customs office.
The forecast for Friday us leaving in Northwesterlies which will slowly rotate anticlockwise around us. By the time we’re in southerlies we’ll be far enough north for them to have warmed up. There’s even a hint we’ll arrive in Fiji on the back of regular trade winds.
From all that we can see we are pleased with our decision to be patient.
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