Spinnaker Face

Allow me to explain Mel’s face.

Reason for face #1: Spinnaker is up! Hoisting once again challenged the very foundations of Greg and Mel’s marriage, just as hanging wallpaper together does. Such things demand extreme precision and flawless communication. This is of course easy to do when you are middle-aged and have not yet adjusted to the watch schedule. What’s so hard to understand here?
Mel: “Greg! Gnahh! Block! Eeeee!”
Greg:”Now take it off the winch and put it on the winch. Ease the clew! No— I mean, release the guy!”

Although they used their old checklist, a few crucial things were left out, like easing the guy/tack sheet a bit to help with freeing the sock. At one point the sheet somehow got bunged up in the lifeline netting and jammed a block, prompting Greg to manipulate multiple lines and tools. A mere 2 hours after hauling it out of the locker and extracting from its sock a bird who got near it and apparently dropped dead (totally makes sense), we cut the engines.

This is why Mel hates spinnakers. They are so big, they just collect all of the calamity rolling around the ocean and spill it on deck. Of course, now that it is up, motors are off and Ol’ Crackles is pulling this fat dog through the water at 6 knots in 9-10 knots of apparent. Even the noise it makes when it stalls in the shifty wind and waves is quieter than an engine. So this makes it all worth it, right? 😬

Mel needs to go to couples counseling, not with Greg, but with the spinnaker — to work on their unhealthy relationship.

Reason for face #2: The boobies didn’t let us leave Sint Maarten unscathed, and Jerry was slathered in bird poop on the way out. Why did Mel switch to the topic of birds? We inherited this spinnaker from Jerry’s previous owners, when the boat was named Falcon’s Nest. Up until now, we had not hoisted it. So imagine our surprise when we see this big beautiful falcon on the spinny! Once again, Mel is conflicted. Will it crap on the boat, or scare away the crappers? We shall see.

Boat stuff: winds are 10-15 true and waves are no more than 3 ft, but we got a beam component last night, which irritates Ol’ Crackles.

Dinner last night: Reheated chicken cordon bleu, delightfully bland. After all, we were just in the French Islands!

Entertainment: Reading numerous articles about trimming spinnakers. Mel would rather listen to her How to Murder Your Spinnaker book mentioned in her last post. Ooops. Freudian slip.