The Demise of the Red Baron
It was as expected a terrible night on the genoa and a bit of main and we were rocking from side to side as the large swell hit us on our starboard quarter. There was little we could do until first light when we should be able to get the Red Baron up again. This makes night shifts hard and difficult for those trying to sleep. The sun rose early about 6.30ish ships time as we had put our clocks back the day before. It was a warm sunny day and the sea was a beautiful blue and with the white horses looked attractive but it is vast. There are no ships or others things to see so we look at this attractive vast ocean which is quite medicinal in a way as you can stare with your own thoughts – sort of medidative.
We looked at the weather and decided it was good for the Red Baron to go. We were all on deck to do this. The Red Baron deployed nicely but unfortunately someone let go of the blue snuffer line so it would be difficult for us to bring it down and this was a real issue. We therefore let out the sheet (rope) and started to lower the sail again but we could not grab the blue snuffer rope and in bringing it down some of the Red Baron ditched in the water. It took all of us to get the bedraggled Red Baron on deck but it was tang and twisted and we noted a tear at the base of the sail. This had taken us some time so we tied the Red Baron up and retreated to the cockpit to have some breakfast and work out what to do. We decided to bring the sail inside and take it out if its snuffer and gradually repack it in the cockpit. This we managed and then we tried to repair the tear with Spinnaker tape.
Finally when all was ready we decided to try again and up went the Red Baron. This sail is fantastic and it is fast and dampens the swell and has become perfect for us up to about 20 kts. We did notice that our tear had opened but there did not seem to be pressure in that area. All seemed good and we were in our way again to Barbados. – remember the song Hey were going to Barbados!!.
However about 40 minutes later in a big swell the bottom of the Red Baron tore. Mark shouted emergency and it was all hands on deck. We got it down and it was clearly badly damaged. We put it away in a locker and hope that it will be repairable. This was quite sad and annoying but there is nothing we can do for now. We put up our genoa and main again and were on our way. This sail plan is fine but not as fast and flexible as the Red Baron and you notice the swell more and sometimes the swell backs the genoa and then it slams a bit when it fills up again.
We relaxed in the afternoon after this busy morning and we tried to catch up on sleep. I noticed far more flying fish now and there is still the odd patch of Sagrasso weed. The carrot cake had been a great success and had all gone as had most of a new loaf Keith had baked. Mark cooked a delicious Spanish Omlette with peas which we eat as the sun went down. They really are spectacular.
In the last 24 hours we covered 152 nm and the day before 166. The daily run varies depending on conditions and sail. We do the 24 hour run at noon each day and we all have bets as to the number. We then do one plot on our paper chart at 12 noon. It is the same chart I used in 2019 on our last crossing and there are still the pencil positions from then. The chart covers such a large area that you can see the curvature of the earth. Let’s see what we do tomorrow now we only have white sails to use. So far so good and are bombing along about 7 kts quite comfortably with the 3 m swell. Good night to you all and lots of love. We are thinking of you. Tomorrow we should be halfway. Hey were going to Barbados!! May the Red Baron sleep well for now.