Preparations now resume at Portimão
I returned to Lagos on January 25th. I was already coordinating before my arrival with Pete Keeping LDA at Portimão to arrange a long trailer to transport the mast there from Lagos. That transfer took place soon after my arrival. I tidied up CLARA a bit in anticipation of motoring the 8M distance east to the Marina de Portimão and reassembled my anchor and ground tackle just in case.
Sending the mast to Portimão in advance, allowed us to begin the work on standing rigging long before CLARA would come ashore there later.
Pete Keeping et. al. immediately started disassembling the furlers, sheaves and spreaders. Any part requiring a repair is being replaced. One of the discoveries was bent pins inside the spreader end caps. These pins are critical to the strength of the rig as they join the vertical shroud and the top shroud on either side.
Pete Keeping and his team took apart my furlers, identified problem areas and are busy improving the rig.
The shroud end cap on the right is awaiting disassembly. The bent pin circled in the middle is undersized. The small sleeve circled on the very right was fitted on the pin to fill the gap in the end cap slot. We will install pins that are larger in diameter without the need for the sleeve.
Portugal was hit with back-to-back low-pressure systems in January and February which caused massive flooding and damage. This also hampered work on boats already at the boatyard; they had to be launched first to make room for CLARA’s lift out. The lift out finally happened on March 11th! During the time that CLARA waited at the marina, I traveled to Southampton to complete my Proficiency in Medical Care training in February.
The polished parts on the left are the above deck components of the chainplates. The brackets on the right needed matching holes to be drilled on their broad surfaces.
The new chainplates inspire confidence. We mounted them using four 12mm bolts, backed by strong brackets below deck. Using bolts instead of welded screws gives me the option to replace them when necessary.
This waiting time before lift out also allowed me to demonstrate my jury-rig setup, an emergency procedure in case of dismasting. I had ordered a duplicate spinnaker pole just for this purpose which is a race requirement to set up an A-frame. I recorded and documented the process then received approval from the race committee. I arranged halyards and sheets from various lines on board. After the outing, it made sense that I should include dedicated halyards and sheets in the jury rig kit.
The loop on the chainplate for vertical shroud receives the jaw of the spinnaker pole to setup the A-frame for my jury rig.
Using the storm jib and the trysail, we were able to move CLARA at a good pace on beam reach and on broad reach.
The race committee had requested that we sail a triangular course under jury rig in 15+ knots of winds. When I received such winds, they came from the east, building significant wind waves and enhancing the already westerly current along the Algarve shores. All that we could manage on our course was a north-south pattern.
CLARA’s engine suffered from fuel starvation after the jury rig sail. We asked for a tow against the wind when it was time to return to the marina.
Since CLARA’s lift out, we have progress in the paint work. All paint by now has been sanded off and a rusty seepage out of the keel carved out to be mended. The gray primer is now all over the hull. I removed the Hydrovane and sealed all bolt holes on the transom in preparation for painting. Pete Keeping already received the mounts for my spare Hydrovane. Once the paint work is complete, we will install two Hydrovanes. Only the primary one will carry a rudder blade and a vane until such time that it may fail. Then it will be time to move the blade and vane to the spare drive unit. My hope is that this redundancy will ensure my nonstop completion of the race as required.
Gray primer was applied all over the boat in preparation for the finish.
It turned out that some paper tissue was floating in the fuel tank which lodged itself at the end of the intake pipe. We are confident that this was the cause of the fuel starvation following my jury rig sail. We are going to clean the tank, change filters and blow the fuel lines just in case.
By the time that I will return to Portimão late on April 14th, the crew there will have stepped the mast and completed the paint work. I will have only 14 days left on my Schengen Visa allowance at that time, so pressure will be on to be ship shape for departure at the end of April. With the paint work done, I will have a fresh transom to hang the Hydrovanes. Some electrical troubleshooting, raising sails, tidying up running rigging and gathering victuals will fill my days as the countdown to departure builds anxiety.
Nancy remains focused on our search for sponsors and partners. As of today, I have no sponsors. The GoFundMe campaign is still active and it will be very timely should you promote it among your network. With the help of friends, I am confident that we will solve the funding shortfall in the remaining 165 days before the race starts. Please contact us with your suggestions.