Sunday, August 3, 2014

Welcome Back Cotter

Listening to "Hotel California (Spanish Mix)" by the Gipsy Kings


Shrouds - The major side stays of a mast.  (16th century) The term as used ashore came from the shipboard sense; the shrouds were heavily wrapped for their protection from the elements.  The derivation of the word is somewhat uncertain, but it is probably Old Norse, scruth, for wrapping.  -from Origins of Sea Terms by J.G. Rogers

Today was a productive day.  It started a bit late (I blame it on the festivities of the previous evening), but a lot has been accomplished.  We had hoped to spend the winter here in The Faroe Islands so that come spring we would be in an optimal position to sail to northern Norway.  This beautiful place has also seduced us with it's striking landscape, captivating history, amazing hiking and, most of all, the people.  We have met so many cool people here - some real friends - that we looked forward to spend the winter getting to know them better and hanging out.  

Unfortunately the word has come down from Denmark that our visa has not been extended.  (Though The Faroe Islands are autonomous, Denmark handles certain aspects of foreign affairs and defense, including visas.)   Technically we can stay until the first week in September, but with the fall storms starting to brew here in the north Atlantic we need to get out in the next week or two.  Last summer we stayed just a bit too long in Greenland and paid for our delay with tempestuous and storm-tossed seas for most of the sail to Iceland.  This is something we do not care to repeat.  

Now that we are preparing for our departure in earnest we are turning a sharp eye to every section of Paragon.  The diesel tanks have been filled,the oil has been changed, the staysail has been taken down to be stitched up (by hand...yay!), and every line, nut, bolt, and cotter pin is being checked.  

I will be the first to say that checking the whole rig kind of sucks.  It's uncomfortable and somewhat tedious.  Seriously, I'm hanging upside down off the bowsprit checking the bobstay, climbing around the mast and boom, and closely inspecting every single attachment point and piece of hardware for cracks and loose fittings.  This, however, is probably one of the simplest things that can be done to prevent disaster from striking.


While I was fitting a lock-washer onto a loose bolt on the bowsprit, I heard Drake gasp as he called me over.  See if you can find anything missing on this turnbuckle.


Need some help?  Here is her sister.


That's right.  The cotter pin is missing entirely from the top of this turnbuckle.  The only reason it was not able to turn, and possibly loosen the wire on this shroud, is because the cotter pin on the bottom bolt was still intact.  (For those unfamiliar with a turnbuckle, it is a piece of hardware that regulates the tension on the wires attached to the mast.  These wires, called shrouds and stays, support the mast and keep it from tumbling down.)


Such a simple thing to replace now as we sit in a protected harbour, but if missed the consequences could be catastrophic.  It makes me wonder what else is missing so, with renewed vigour, I continue my inspection of Paragon.  Let's hope there aren't any more surprises!

10 comments:

  1. glad you have a keen eye for the small things that could become major..................!

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  2. Thanks Mitch. Between Drake and I we hope to find everything. That doesn't always happen, but we're trying!

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  3. big things come in very small packages, it is said! We are currently having the entire standing rigging of our WS42 ketch remade to prevent a failure. However, the new rigging will fail just as quick as the old rigging if one of those pesky little cotter pins is ignored. Be safe you two. Your postings and videos continue to fuel the wanderlust in us all! Humungeous Thanks! Fair Winds and Following Seas

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  4. Yes Douglas, I find it amazing that some of the most important things on the boat are really just held together with simple cotter pins. Best of luck with your new rigging...I know what a job that can be. We replaced all of our standing rigging, among other things, before we left North Carolina in 2013 and it's given us such peace of mind. Polishing all of the hardware and turnbuckles made me wish for a smaller boat (just kidding, I think), but the work paid off. Thanks so much for watching! Fair winds and safe travels...

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  5. I am glad you found that little problem before it became a big problem. It reminds me to check tbe rigging on my own boat, a Catalina 27. Glad things are going well for you guys. Enjoy the trip. Wish you safe travels and calm seas.

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    1. It's definitely one of those important jobs that I find rather tedious. Fortunately, once I put a podcast on my ipod it's amazing how quickly the time passes. Thanks for the good wishes and I hope you have a lovely time out on the water.

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  6. We also lost a cotter pin about a year ago, resulting in a shroud coming loose. So yes, glad you found it in a calm situation. Glad to see you posting again - your posts and YouTube videos were a huge inspiration for us to make our first cruise. We are coming to the conclusion of that now despite extending it as long as we can. thanks for all the encouragement that you likely never knew you were providing - Fair Winds! Neil http://midnightsunii.blogspot.com/

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    1. Wow Neil, a loose shroud is the stuff of nightmares; I hope everyone was okay. Thanks for the kind words and I hope your future sails are a bit more relaxed! *grin* Btw, I love the pictures of your dog Salty!

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  7. reminds me of the time we were almost dismasted...
    The homemade roller furler fouled so I drove our Catalina 22 onto the beach, went forward and wrapped the jib / sheets around the forestay. Somewhere during the fouling or the fixing the locknut on the turnbuckle disengaged and the buckle mostly unwound. Since we were about a half mile dead downwind from the dock I fired up the outboard and started motoring home. Lucky for me just as we came straight into the 16 knot wind the motor stalled, the bow swung around, and the forestay came free all at once.
    I tacked once on a broad reach from the wind on the hull before I realized the clunking noise forward was the base of the furler banging on the deck. Letting her drift I said “Crap, oh Crap!” ran/leapt forward and somehow managed to reattach the turnbuckle. As I stood at the bow looking around a passing power boat offered a tow. I looked at the 40 year old outboard that had just cut out, the main all wrapped up in her cover and my wife’s head in sticking out of the companionway and listened to my 4 year old asking why we stopped. Sometimes a tow is what you need. 20 min later the kids were running around, I was drinking a beer with my new friend, and I’m still pretty sure my wife never knew how close she came to collecting on the life insurance since I was standing where the mast would have landed if it had come down.
    Glad you caught this one before it was really a problem and please keep posting I'm cruising vicariously through your blog and the youtubes...
    torbjorn

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    1. What a story! It sounds like that was a well deserved beer!

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