Tamar Tonight
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Noon Position: 40 52.4 S 147 19.5
E After what turned out to be a good 24 hours sail, we are once more under the iron trysail (aka BRM). Yesterday afternoon we were able to shut down the engine at 1400 as the wind filled in from the east and by 1500 were beam reaching under all plain sail (ie the jib and mainsail) at a steady six knots. Towards sunset the wind veered into the SE and we then were able to pole the jib out to port as we beared away to the NW after rounding Eddystone Point and run wing on wing for a few hours. At 0100 this morning, the winds started to go light and flukey, then half an hour later it suddenly shifted into the west. We ended up close hauled on the port tack making good a course of NNW through Banks Strait, a relatively narrow strait between Flinders Island and Tasmania's NE corner. Quite a bit of tidal stream flows through this strait, up to three knots, so we were fortunate to have timed our transit just as the flood was making. After waiting for a merchant ship to pass clear of us, at 0235 we tacked onto a more favourable heading of WSW, close hauled on the starboard tack. We continued to make good time towards our destination until 0900 when the winds once again fell light and fickle. I have tried different sail combinations to try to make ground to the west in the light WNW breeze, and was having some success with the code zero when all of a sudden the big red sail came tumbling down I a rush. The halyard block had failed, more precisely the halyard block shackle, so that put paid to that sail until I can get aloft. I reverted back to jib and main again, but we were only making slow to no progress in the desired direction so, as mentioned at the start of this post, we have reluctantly once more resorted to the engine to help us on our way. Having made good ground overnight, the entrance to the Tamar is only 25 miles away and I would like to make it to anchor before sunset, there to enjoy a bit of uninterrupted sleep. All is well. |