New main sail, new Shrouds. Sailing morning. Saturday morning we hoisted new sail and get out for sea trail new standing rigging. We went out today in 15–20 knots of wind. It was a great sail. Unfortunately, the weather didn't give us a chance to hoist the full mainsail, so we spent most of the day cruising at about 5–56 knots with the first reef in the main and just the "corner" of the jib. At one point a stronger gust hit—probably around 20+ knots—and the boat heeled all the way to the toe rail. Nothing excessive, just a normal reaction to a decent gust. About 5–10 minutes later I heard the bilge pump alarm. I jumped into the cabin and found 2–3 inches of water under the cabin sole. My boat has a very shallow bilge, so even 5–10 gallons of water creates a pretty dramatic-looking situation. My first thought was, "Houston, we have a problem." Since we weren't far from the marina, my immediate reaction was, "Let's head back." But that fe...
Days 269-270, New Mainsail, Variable speed fresh water pump, Water tanks cleaning, Water tanks fill automation.
Is it not nice? Geometrically, the sail fit very well, but the slides that came installed were 16 mm instead of the required 19 mm. That turned into a pretty significant problem because the sail simply would not work with my mast track. I contacted FarEastSails, and to their credit they responded quickly. They asked me to get a repair quote from a local sail loft and confirmed they would cover the cost of the modification. In hindsight, I have to take some responsibility as well. I carefully checked all sail dimensions, measurements, and specifications before ordering, but I never thought to verify what size slides would be installed. I assumed they would match the information provided for the boat. Mistakes happen. What matters to me is how a company handles them, and so far FarEastSails has been professional and willing to make things right. One other issue I noticed is that the sail is chafing on the outhaul track opening in the boom. This appears to be related to my par...