Unfortunately the line arrived in Brazil in bad shape. There was a on-inch gap in the sheathing, exposing the core which worryingly had tear in a small section of it. I don't use a winch on that line to roll in the sail, lest I over stress the system. But I do use hand power, often pulling with all of the strength in my arms, legs and back that I can muster. In a howling wind with the sail flogging because I've eased the sheet to get the pressure off for the rolling in, there is desperation to get that sail sail rolled in and sheeted as quickly as possible to prevent damage to the it.
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| Fishing Boat Jetty on way to Petrobras for Fuel |
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| Getting Fuel on Floating Fuel Depot |
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| Church not far from marina |
Were that line to part during a roll-in the sail would roll out to its full extent and the only option that I would have would be to free the halyard and run forward to try to pull the sail down any way I can. In a rough seaway and particularly at night this could be a very dangerous task.
This morning I decided that I would try to purchase a replacement line but instead of estimating the required length I would take advantage of yet another splendid sunny day with a whisper of a breeze to roll the headsail completely out and actually measure the line. Before the rollout I went forward to look at the furler and that there must have been 12 or 15 windings of the line around the drum when the headsail was fully rolled up. The riggers would have done this. Not having a sail to work with, they would have put enough extra turns on the drum to allow a rollout of the largest genoa. I saw an opportunity here. I untied the furler line at the drum and retied it with only 2 or 3 extra windings around the drum when the headsail was furled, freeing more than 6 meters of line. This moved the damaged area more than 6 meters toward the cockpit. At the end I had the capability to roll out the headsail to the first mark - very close to completely rolled out - and still have the damaged part of the line inboard and slack while I had a good grip on the line to haul it in. This meant that I would get to Angra without risk from this problem. I would still try to find a replacement line here at Ilha Bella, but I wouldn't have the pressure to purchase anything, even though it might not be suitable.
After this satisfactory outcome I did some hand washing of clothes in the cockpit using warm soapy water. At the end I had 5 sets of underclothes hanging on the "Dieter" line drying in the sunny breeze. I brought in the Ice Breaker woolen garments that I had washed yesterday and packed them away all clean, dry, and smelling of the perfumes that they put in the soap. The last time I had done this I had packed them away confident that I would not need them again until the passage to Cape Town. After using them on the passage from Argentina to Brazil, I am not confident that I will now not need them again until next December when I depart for Cape Town.
I then went ashore taking the two empty 10L water containers and two 10L diesel containers. The outboard motor started on the first crank. At the marina I filled the water containers then walked over to the floating fuel station and purchased another 20 liters of diesel. Along the way I took photos of the marina and the fishing boat harbor. I also took photos of the PetroBras fuel depot on a barge at the end of the jetty. It is modern, well equipped, and well staffed operation. Back at the boat I was surprised that the diesel tanks took all 20 liters of diesel, making a total of 60 liters that I had put into the tanks since leaving MdP. I would purchase 20 more liters because I will not accept that the internal tanks are full until I see that the fuel is up the the brim. Because I there is no fuel gauge and there is no way to plumb the tanks the starting point for my consumption estimates must always be full tanks.
At 2 PM I set off on the long walk to the bank and some shopping for provisions. On the way I dropped into the little boat shop where I had seen Thomas the day before. My memory was that I required 27 meters of 10mm diameter line. The girl had a reel of beautiful looking 10mm line which I thought was reasonably priced (because it was made in Brazil and not imported). The line felt too thick even though the number in my brain told me that it was correct. It was Saturday afternoon, I would have only one crack at it, so I purchased 28 meters of it, was given a bit of a discount, and paid 200 Reais, or roughly $90. I then made the long walk to the bank enjoying the various beaches, beach side restaurants and bars, lots of boats, and Brazilians enjoying the beach. You wouldn't have know that it was winter by the way the people were enjoying the sun and the water. I got another 800 Reais at the ATM then pushed on the the supermarket where I picked up fruit (oranges, bananas, kiwi fruit, and 2 mangoes), bread, paper towels, and a few other things. When I got back to the marina at 5 PM I got the empty fuel containers from the Zodiac then went over to PetroBras to get another 20 liters (making a total of 80 liters). Back at the boat it took another 10 liters to top up the boat's fuel tanks, making the total fuel consumption on the passage from MdP to 70 liters (for 30 hours running, or 2.3 ltr/hr).
Then I checked the roller furler line and my impression has been correct: it is an 8mm line and I had purchased the wrong line. It's no biggie. Tomorrow I'll see if the roller can take a 10mm line. Even if the 10mm line fits through the hole at the top of the drum, the thicker line may fill the drum up too soon as I wind it in. If the 10mm line can't be used I'll keep it for emergency jib sheets and purchase the 8mm line at Angra.
As I sipped a glass of cold Heineken I thought of the situation and concluded that I was ready to sail on to Angra Dos Reis. I had made my formal entry into Brazil, had topped up the fuel and fresh water, had purchased fresh fruit and more bread, and had plenty of Brazilian currency. I would dedicate tomorrow to prepare the boat for sailing. In the morning I would try to fit the new roller furler line if there was little wind. I would make one last visit to the club to have a real shower and then return to the boat for the rest of the day to get the outboard motor up on the rail, pack the Zodiac forward of the mast, and prepare the interior for the rocking and rolling that may happen on the next leg. Otherwise I would try to rest and relax as much as possible. One concern was the wind. For the previous two days it had been non existent from the sailing point of view. Nevertheless I did not want to overstay my welcome with the club to the point where I would be asked to leave, so I would depart on Monday morning even if I had to motor. ... The only thing that would stop me would be a strong adverse wind, in which case I would visit the club, explain the situation, and offer to pay for my remaining days at the mooring.
In the pressure cooking were the makings of what promised to be another good stew. The meat looked to be part of a lamb's leg. I threw in lentils, two potatoes, two onions, two carrots, three cloves of garlic, chopped celery, and a can of corn kernels.
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