Doin' A Little Ketching

SHIP'S LOG:

It was rather foggy yesterday but it burned off sufficiently so that one could go sailing. And I was one of the ones. The wind was light and so I took the opportunity to run ABISHAG in "full-Ketch" mode. I don't often do this because it is a little more work that I'd like to do merely going from here to there an back again. with another pair of hands it would be simple enough but by oneself, it can have me hoping back and forth all over the cockpit.

In addition to controlling and adjusting the main and the Genoa( thank goodness for self-tailing winches), running as a ketch means also controlling the Mizzen. There is a two-part tackle that adjusts the Mizzen, meaning you have one line when you are on a starboard tack and you need to use another line on the port tack. In addition, you have to set the running backstay on the windward side and release and reset a new one whenever you tack. Think in terms of the famous "one-armed paper hanger" and you will understand that it can get a wee bit busy. If I am going to run for several miles, that's one thing, but having to tack with a fair amount of frequency can make for busy afternoon. And in a heavy breezed, it can even be more so. But the light breeze of yesterday was perfect.

Having sailed around for several hours counting lobster pot buoys, I head back toward New London where I encountered GAZELLA, a tall ship from the Philadelphia Maritime Museum, making her way into the Thames. She is a three masted brig, with the main and Mizzen masts set fore-&-aft and the foremast set with square spars and sails. She is well over 100 years old and, sadly, looks it. She probably needs far more work that the Museum can afford to put into her but she is still seaworthy enough to make it here. I am assuming that she is in New London to participate in the Sail Fest activities this weekend.

It is really great to be sailing these days. I doubt that I have had to run the engine more than 20 - 30 minutes a day and that is just to get off the mooring and clear the mooring field (and the reverse on the way in) when the sails are up and I am gone. If I could have done this on "the Trip," I would have saved a fortune!