Evanston: decisions
Evanston: decisions
Although the northern summer has yet to end and the beginning of the next seems far away, I will only be on GANNET twice more before I sail away. I made my reservations yesterday to fly to the little sloop on October 9 for six weeks.
I’lll probably go out again for six weeks in February and early March, when I’ll haul-out, have the rudder and bearings inspected and possibly the shaft filled with epoxy, and antifoul. In May it will be a one-way ticket. I might even take the train.
As you know if you’ve been here a while I like to proceed sequentially. It is time for decisions I’ve been considering to be made. So I have, though some may come under further review.
Install self-steering vane? No.
Beyond the expense--and the quote from the boat yard was more than half what I paid for GANNET--I don’t want to endure another project where for two or more weeks GANNET is torn apart and my life dominated by workmen.
I don’t want the weight on the stern or the drag of the servo-rudder through the water.
Rowing GANNET has proven possible, but more difficult than I hoped.
I actually like the Torqeedo and want to continue using it.
I have always thought that at times GANNET will move too fast to be controlled by a self-steering vane.
I am satisfied with the tiller pilots, and may add a hydrogenerator to keep the ship’s batteries charged in prolonged sunless weather, and can fall back on sheet to tiller self-steering.
I like the way GANNET looks without anything hanging on her transom.
Route. Hawaii: Apia, Western Samoa; Fiji; Opua, where after 6,000 miles I will know better whether I want to proceed west or go east.
In addition to considering probable winds and tropical storm seasons, a sailor must now also plan around arbitrary government
regulations. A foreign vessel can stay in New Zealand only one year. If you wonder about THE HAWKE OF TUONELA, I paid the duty and officially imported her. So I will have to delay my arrival in New Zealand until at least late November if I want the choice in 2015 of heading west in May or east in October or early November, which are for weather the right times of year .
Tracking device. Probably not.
Although I enjoy tracking others, from Steve Earley to SCOUT, when I sail I enter the monastery of the sea, and you don’t visit a monk’s cell.
With the exception of the year Carol sailed with me and I carried an EPIRB at her request, I’ve always sailed from the land as completely as did Captain Cook.
I’ve long been on the record as believing that those of us who choose to leave society behind and sail away alone have no right to expect that society to save us if we get into trouble of our own making.
I’ve always worked without a net.
You will have to wait for my reports until I reach port.
Saturday, August 31, 2013