Thursday 5th November - Guy Fawkes Night! Day 27 from the Canaries ..... Anchor off bow-roller....
Success!! Realized it was fairly calm around midday - so I set to, organizing a halyard and other lines to help me take the anchor off the bow-roller. First had to remove all my lashing and the removeable bowsprit, detach the anchor from the chain, tension the halyard, undo the pin - and then the fun & games began..!
I'd attached two other lines to the anchor so as to manoeuvre it better, but it's a big (25kg) awkward item, and the last thing I wanted was for its point to make a hole in the boat from swinging about - as it was trying hard to do while I moved it about, trying to get it up & over the pulpit and onto the deck..... Anyway, it's safely stowed now in the cockpit locker (with no great damage to my body parts or the deck!)... we may have a slight starboard list, but that's fine. While I was in that locker, it gave me the thought that now, in calm conditions, was an ideal time also to attach the bridle arms of the Jordan series drogue to the two strong eyes at the stern - and wire the shackles in doing so ... another good job done..!
By now, the wind was up a bit, and the seas a little to, so the boom end will have to wait to tomorrow (we're definitely heading into light winds for a day or two) I'm just finishing with the watermaker - re-making some connections and replacing another short length of pipe... all yet to be tested under pressure... keep fingers crossed!!
A lovely sailing day today! I'm storing up these nice, sunny, DRY, fairly calm days in my memory - ready for the nasty weather all too soon to come...!
DMG: 134 M but less tomorrow, with the calmer day today...