The Adventures of Captain Ray Penson
Sailing Yacht Truce
After the injury to my left arm I have been sailing with just the headsail. Most of the time I have poled out the sail as its been mostly downwind sailing to the SE trades. The trades at times can be strong, gusting to 30+ knots occasionally. It looks like I have stressed the spinnaker pole and opened up an old break in the carbon fibre. This needs repairing before setting off again.
The wedding was for Natasha and her future husband Sam. Natasha is the daughter of my best friend Jim Britton. Unfortunately Jim passed away a short time ago. The wedding was delayed time and again by covid and unforeseen events. Jim did pick out the wedding dress, he did a good job as usual.
With the constant trade winds, sailing with just the headsails has been easy and really not much slower than if I also had the mainsail working. By sailing this way I have covered almost five hundred miles since departing Middle Percy Island.
I love the Hinchinbrook Channel. For the first time since departing from Gladstone I have had a wonderful sleep without rocking and rolling. The creeks here are flat calm, the swell cant reach them. The scenery is wonderful and so far the mosquitos and sand flees have been absent.
The idea of making fresh water from seawater on the boat is very appealing and adds another level of independence to cruising. But such a luxury comes at a cost - money, space, added complexity and power. Being mainly single handed with a small yacht my freshwater requirements are modest, most off the shelf water makers didn’t fit with my needs. So, I thought why not look at making one to fit the boat and my expectations.
Monday morning, there was a light breeze for a change. I hopped in the dinghy and headed ashore for a walk and look around Townsville. I didn’t really see anything of significance. There were a couple of Irish Bars, I made a mental note that a pint of Guinness and some Irish grub may be a good idea in the evening.
I didn’t go ashore the first day, there was a strong wind warning and being anchored in shallow water on short scope decided to stay on board for safety. Tomorrow is another day and I feel my arm is starting to heal so another day resting will help, the orange pig can rest on deck for another day. My hope that the rolling would stop here has been shattered, but it’s only a small lazy roll unless its high water.
I awoke early the next morning to find only a slight improvement in my injured arm. This is frustrating, I am fed up with looking at the shore and going nowhere. Resting here isn’t working. The thought of spending another day on the boat in confinement was depressing. I can’t rest and unable to get ashore. As much as I wanted to spend some time in the Whitsundays it isn’t going to happen. I must admit to feeling a bit woeful. I gave myself a stern talking to, pulled myself together and am now looking at the positives again. A new plan was called for.
I awoke this morning feeling very sorry for myself. My left arm was painful, I couldn’t use it, couldn’t lift it. I had done something terrible last night. My first thought was something was broken the pain was that bad. But, the swelling would have been worse for a fracture. Must be a strain or pulled muscle.
Finally, after southerly winds, northerly winds, rain and a rolling swell the weather improved, allowing a run ashore without being tipped into the surf. I had started the day off trying to sail north to Digby Island but the wind disappeared, so I returned to West Bay to explore.
The Adventures of Captain Ray Penson 