Catalina 400
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Catalina 400
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11/19/11 |
      
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Pura Vida has the wing keel, has the 150% genoa, and a genicker sail.
Pura
Vida Crew Members
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Open Ocean Sailing
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Different! After all the preparation and adding the backup systems to the boat our assumption was that we were ready for anything. We had been told by a number of cruising sailors that things do break and that it is just how it is. I didn't believe we would have problems....oh my. The first night of the Baja Ha Ha cruise we noted that the wind was picking up significantly. The seas were building and by about 9:00 p.m. we had 24 knot winds gusting even higher and we had following seas of 6-8 feet. The boat would lean with the gusting winds and then "yaw" with the following seas making it very difficult to stand or do anything other than just sit. We took our shifts on watch. My shift was 9:00 p.m. to 12:00 which was the time that the winds were really building. I finally got done with my shift but then could not sleep due to the noise of the wind and the sails clanging against the shrouds and the boat creaking as it surfed down a wave and then abruptly turn upwind to correct its direction. At about 6:00 a.m. I heard a huge crash and much movement on deck. I stuck my head out and found the crew jumping around trying to get control of the boat. Alison was yelling different directions. The Preventer (a block and tackle arrangement that keeps the boom on one side of the boat during a downwind sail) had broken and the boom had crashed to the other side breaking the traveler as it went. Dennis and Paul were rigging lines trying to hold the traveler in place and trying to prevent another hard jibe. The level of stress on the boat from this type of sea overcame the auto helm and it just could not keep up with the following seas. At that point we had to hand steer - which meant turning the wheel one way when we surfed down a wave and the other way when the boat got to the bottom of the trough. For three days we kept the boat on course but we were tired. I cornered Alison and was in tears thinking we just could not do this...I was in mental collapse with fear. But, having been through much worse, she assured me that we were still afloat and that we could jerry rig anything we needed to get ourselves to Turtle Bay...which we did. And, when in Turtle Bay we were fortunate to find John, another Baja cruiser on Serendipity, who came and fixed the auto helm. With experience we became comfortable and flexible, and I know I will be calm with another incident that will occur. |
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Lessons Learned! On our first day of sailing in the San Juan Islands we learned that tide changes matter! Big time! We sailed the 42' Benetau to a small island north of Orcas Island. Jenni, my sister, and Roger sailed with us. We had hoped to get a mooring, but all were full, so we decided to anchor near 3 other boats. During the process of anchoring, we managed to foul the prop with the dinghy line, so we had no engine. We put out a stern anchor in addition to the bow anchor for good measure and decided to fix the prop problem the next morning. Lynn didn't sleep a wink as she kept bobbing up to see whether we were dragging, and sure enough, at about 5:00 a.m. the boat was quickly drifting toward shore and toward the boat moored close to us. Fortunately, that boat saw the mess we were in and left (or he was interested in early fishing). Quickly we took some line in the dinghy and motored to the buoy and attached our boat to that mooring ball. As we looked around we could see we were in a major channel where the current was raging like a river. For the next many hours Dennis and Roger tried to saw the rope from the prop. The water was a nippy 58 degrees and the current was going under the boat so strongly that they had to pull themselves along the rope to get to the prop - without a mask, snorkel or air! After about 6 tries at trying to unravel the rope, Dennis was turning blue. Hot tea, warm bodies and blankets followed. Roger then took a turn and was smart enough to take a kitchen knife. He dove about 6 times before near hypothermia set in. They took turns until finally Roger cut the rope and we could start the engine. For the rest of the trip we were on a mooring buoy! Tide changes do count! And watching out for the dinghy rope helps also! Corrosion Happens! On our trip to Puerto Vallarta we had intermittent problems with the various electronic equipment on board. The autohelm would work for a few days and then quit, or the depth meter would work on and off, etc. Finally, after arriving in Puerto Vallarta, we checked all connections and it was clear the corrosion had been hampering our connections. Once cleaned, we did not have as many problems. Electronics are an on-going issue for Pura Vida!
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This site was last updated 01/05/11
