8/22/14
Two months since the DelMarVa and we are still laid up with
parts holdups and a medical ‘issue’. The
parts are just a matter of figuring out exactly what is needed to restore the
functionality and integrity of the forestay and furler part of the rig (the
forward most sail that wraps itself into a nice little package around a
seemingly simple mechanical winder-upper.
On our DelMarVa rally, the winder-upper failed and it wound up ropes and
metal pieces it was not supposed to have wrapped up.
The damage was not terrible, but as we dug into the cause of the failure
we found a couple of worn out bearings which were, along with inexperience, the
root cause of the problem.
The parts in question are the forestay itself; a super
strong, hefty stainless steel cable that strings between the top of the main
mast and the very front (forepeak) of the boat’s deck. Together with all the other cables (stays and
shrouds) the entire standing rigging supports the sails and is is robust enough
to safely hold together in almost any conceivable situation. As a matter of
fact, it held together quite handily while the furling motor wound up and
eventually snapped a couple of 9,500 lb breaking strength ropes and two smaller
ones, while winding 2 3/8” stainless rods into nice arcs. That is a good
testimonial to the way this boat is put together.
Ultimately, although we could find no discernable damage, we
decided to err on the side of caution and replace the forestay cable with a new
one. Once something has been stressed
like that, you never know if it is weakened and I would hate to find out the
hard way if it broke when we crashed into a big wave one day. The cable,
fittings (which have to be ‘swaged’ together) and all the new halyards and
other lines, and labor will run into a few thousand dollars by the time it is
all said and done. We were happy with the determination to renew everything as
best we could.
So, the day came when the riggers came by , climbed up the
mast and basically spent the day tearing the front part of the boat apart. Once
the forestay and furler were down we got to do a deeper inspection and found
some more damage to the long tube (that surrounds the cable) that the sail
actually winds up on. There were deep
gashes and sharp cuts into the metal which we looked pretty bad. We spent a few days with the Dremel tools
trying to smooth things out, but after consulting with the rigger we decided
that, as much as we wanted to, we probably should give up trying to save it and
order a new one. Cha-ching J … this part is
extruded aluminum ally. A single tube extrusion nearly 60 feet long. 2 inches
in diameter with thick walls and full length grooves cut for the sails to slide
up and down. We would have to find out if the factory even had one and if we
could get it.
Turns out they do have them, in stock! The price, of course,
is enough to cause a short gasp but it has to be done. The real problem is going to be shipping a
60+ foot long piece of extruded aluminum from France and getting it to the
marina. I just have no idea how it can happen or what it’s going to cost; and
neither does the factory (Amel). Well,
we are still waiting for a final price and delivery estimate. France, in toto, apparently goes on vacation
in August L We will see what happens in a couple of weeks.
All the down time is well and good, notwithstanding the idea
that we wanted to be sailing all over the place, because we’ve had a good
chance to ‘settle in’ to the boat, living aboard, and being at a marina. I’ve been learning a lot about the boat and
its systems including electrics, plumbing, air conditioning and engine
maintenance. All good stuff. What we
didn’t expect, aside from the expenses of repairs, were the expenses of marina
life. We never dreamed we’d be stuck at a dock in Annapolis, the sailing
capitol of the USA, and paying for dock space costing as much as the rent on a
4 bedroom house. We didn’t really grasp
the idea that it would be so expensive, as our previous experience is with a
much smaller boat at a much smaller marina some 25 miles south of Annapolis
proper … kind of out in the sticks, actually. Our first boat still sits at
Shipwright Harbor Marina in Deale, MD and it has been a wonderful place to keep
her and to sail from. We can’t really
put the new boat in there because it is a bit too shallow for our draft and we
don’t want to be on the bottom half the time and slaved to the high tides.
The real problem, however, is that with the rig torn
partially down, “Adagio” is not seaworthy and we are truly stuck where we
are. Not a happy situation, but not in
any way the worst thing that could happen.
I guess I wrote all this to say “here’s how to kill a cruising kitty”
(the money we had set aside for expenses while cruising around) We will recover, we will get this rig fixed
right so we have no misgivings about Adagio’s seaworthiness and we’ll be
sailing soon.
Now, breaking the boat isn’t the only part of the equation. I
debated whether to make an entry about this issue, but it’s integral to our
sailing plans at this point so here goes.
Back in February (yes, that’s 6 months ago) Robin and I were
given permission to take an ‘early occupancy’ of sorts aboard Adagio. She
really wasn’t ours yet, as the closing hadn’t happened, but all was well and
good in the paperwork department so we were granted permission to start
claiming our new space. We drove up to
Newport, RI with a truckload of stuff and began to clear out the old and put n
the new (ours). It was exciting and challenging at the same time.
As you may know, winter in Rhode Island can be pretty rough.
This winter was especially brutal with storm after storm after storm rolling
through with only a day or two of decent weather between blizzards. Temperatures in the teens, winds gusting all
over the place, snow and freezing rain all kept coming at us while we were
trying to make the numerous trips back and forth to the boat from the parking
lot. The dock got up to a foot of snow
on it and we were just super careful to stay safe. We never went anywhere alone
in the rough conditions.
The boat was toasty and warm inside, but the dock was frozen
which meant no water was available. We purchased 2 of the fold-em-up 5 gallon
camping water jugs and I proceeded to make sure I brought 10 gallons of water
to the boat ever time we ventured off the dock. We needed the water for
cleaning stuff and it goes fast when you’re busy about scrubbing and steam
cleaning. Nevertheless we had a system
that worked and all went very well for a few days.
On Feb 18th, I had planned to leave Robin behind while
I caught an airplane back to D.C. My
plan was to go to work for a couple of days, then fly back to Providence just
in time to meet a very special guest who was also flying in for a visit. The day had been sunny and above freezing and
the boat and the docks were mostly clear of ice and snow. Shortly after darkness fell, we needed to make a trip up to the dumpster and load a couple of things into the truck for my trip back to D.C.
With laptop, satchel and garbage bag in hand I stepped from the lower step of the boat about two feet across the water to the dock. ... and the dock had frozen with black ice. I went down hard as I had taken a large, confident step out. As my right foot slipped out from under me forward, my left leg went straight down toward the water with my full weight on my shin hitting the sharp edge of the dock's wood boards. I have tried to explain it exactly, but the best I can come up with is that I started just above the ankle, and ended just at and on the inside of my knee. The pain was immobilizing. I have never, ever had a fall or accident where I could not move but this one was it. I have been injured worse, but I have never had anything that hurt that badly. I could not even speak to warn Robin to NOT come and help, and when she stepped on the dock she slipped and fell too. So there we were, stuff strewn everywhere, both lying on the dock injured and trying to get our wits about us. Robin recovered first, but I was several more minutes before I could begin to move.
After a bit, we made our way to the truck. It was slick, deadly slick on that dock and it took several minutes for us to get onto a safer surface and into the restroom where I could assess the injury.
So, at first glance, the damage looked relatively minor. we were both scraped up and I had a two inch-ish log gash on the shin about midway between the ankle and knee. OK, so it hurt like hell but nothing's broken. Let's figure out what to do next. Obviously ... we need dinner and a glass of wine :)
Stopped by the drug store picked up some ibuprofen, antibiotics cream and bandaids. I was hurting and thankfully, Robin had not taken as serious a fall (whew!). We had dinner and went back to the dock, ut not until after we'd found several pounds of ice-melt to lead the way back. Scattering the salt along the dock out in front of us, we made our way back to the boat.
I needed to make a flight the next morning, so I drove to Providence and grabbed a hotel room close to the airport. I took a soak and cleaned the wounds as best I cold. I did not sleep much, the airplane ride was miserable and I spent a horribly uncomfortable day at work. The next day I flew back to Providence where I met up with Robin and our VIP guest. For the next few days we played tourist in Newport, RI (mansions and meals and scenery), Plymouth and Boston, MA. All the while things were hurting on that left leg but I really tried to bull through.
Now, I'm just going to sum this up by saying that the injury was actually pretty severe. Just because it didn't immediately look all that bad, I should've sought medical help sooner than I did. By the time we finally got to Urgent care, they sent me straight to E.R. and called in staff from home to verify that I did not have life-threatening clots and thrombosis. The bruising was a sight to behold; I could've had a role on "The Walking Dead" and not needed any makeup.
So, the injury developed into a deep tissue infection called simply 'cellulitis' and it has been a challenging, uncomfortable recovery regimen. As I write this I have been equipped with a PICC line (a semi-permanent I.V. that drops the antibiotics just above the heart) and have had some of the most powerful antibiotics available to try to win against this thing. All I can say is that if I had to do it over again, I would seek help sooner and not pretend that I was superman and could push through the pain and have it just go away on its own.
I think that pictures might not be in the best of tastes, so please trust that it was an impressive injury and has for the last several weeks dictated much of activities (or lack thereof).
This is something that can happen while sailing. Fortunately for us (me) we had some of the best medical care in the world right here in Virginia and Maryland. I don't know how it might play out in a remote location.
Be careful out there. Please!
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