Prep and Vang Failure

Much about bluewater sailing is about preparation and planning. There an endless list of maintenance jobs, and spares to be specified, purchased and stored. You try to anticipate what may fail and have a backup plan. In preparation for the world rally, we carry some 1700 spares on board from split pins to a spare prop, and everything in between. Our book and chart data base has well over 600 paper charts, with two full sets of worldwide electronic charts, each independently operated. It has been a huge task
getting this all together.

And things still go wrong. On this crossing our Vang ( Harken ) has failed, and we have rigged a jury rig on our boom to get us to St Lucia. This is the second vang to have failed on a transatlantic crossing for us - the first ( also Harken ) failed as well although later in the trip. We are lucky that we have adequate gear to rig an alternative.

We are definitely on the glide path into St Lucia. The weather is benign - 20 knots with 2 M seas behind us - a break in the rock and roll of earlier in the week. It is also getting very hot ! We are all really looking forward to our rum punches - we have more or less run a dry boat - so a party is well in order.

There's a boat close by that we want to try pass - so Ill sign off form the warmth of the western Atlantic,

Wishing everyone well,

Liam