While time in a boatyard should be measured in days, those days often add up to weeks. Even for a well-run place like Front Street Shipyard, schedules are difficult to keep – parts need to be ordered, one project uncovers others that also need to be completed, and, for some unfathomable reason, boatyard workers need weekends off…
So when Oso was lowered gently into the water of Belfast Bay, it was a huge relief. After a thorough washdown, the bow was pointed southeast and it felt like a summer of Maine cruising was finally starting. Oso heeled gently to the 10-15kts of SW breeze, glorious sailing in the flat water of Penobscot Bay.
CRACK! That pistol shot is the sound of the clew strap tearing out of Oso’s headsail, leaving the sail whipping back and forth in the wind. The sail is only 18 months old, with less than 10k miles of sailing on the clock, so there’s no way that the sail should tear.
Closer inspection shows an obvious build defect – two Dyneema straps have been allowed to chafe against one another instead of being fastened securely together. Even though each of the straps is almost strong enough to lift the entire boat, rubbing against one another has slowly eaten away the fabric.
Some quick research found a local sailmaker, who of course is located back in Belfast. Jay promised to turn around the repair as quickly as humanly possible, and true to his word, a few days later he stayed way past closing time to finish the repair – fantastic service from a very friendly guy.
Two steps forward, and one step back. Fingers crossed for the next step being in the right direction…
