Finally a change in the weather forecast for this weekend! Still cold, but a bit less so on Sunday. The wind is expected to remain NW to N and weak to moderate. We can't wait anymore. We're going sailing.
On Saturday morning I rode my motorbike to Bruinisse, and despite the thermals arrived feeling really cold. A grog of ginger infusion with rum soon fixed that. The afternoon was spent making final preparations and in the evening First-Mate arrived for dinner out.
After a cold night we got up to a beautiful morning with weak wind. We were in no rush to start, waiting for the temperature and the wind to pick-up a bit. Finally just after 11 we were out of the harbour and hoisting sails. It was a beautiful day, but still a skiing clothes affair.
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| The woollen cap is still a must. |
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| But the sun is shinning, so we're happy. |
At first the wind was weak but we were moving along the SE side of the Grevelingen. Than a few inconsistent puffs came along, each one from a different direction. And finally it started blowing a consistent northerly 4 Bf. Sailing close-hauled to round the Mosselenbank, Mekicevica was heeling a lot, but still not really a case for reefing. What became apparent was that the tension of the rigging was not enough. When preparing Mekicevica, I tried to have a less dramatic tension of the shrouds than last year, finding that the mast might have been to bent. It turns-out that was the wrong decision, as the lee-side shrouds were too floppy and each tack made the whole thing shudder like crazy. It also showed that the Windex is a bit loose and I was afraid we might lose it. Given these technical problems and the fact that we were getting a bit cold, we headed back to Bruinisse to warm in the sunshine in the sheltered harbour.
Next weekend is a long one and the weather forecast looks good. But the rigging has to be tightened. As to the Windex, I'll either have to climb the mast or hope that it will hold.
