Le Petit Canard Sailing

Evan & Jenn Visit

Just three weeks behind schedule and we are finally in the water, again. Le Petit Canard went back into the water on Saturday June 6th without any problems and hasn’t really taken on any water. (I think more water is leaking in from rain than is coming through the hull.) Our friends Evan and Jenn made the trek from Charlotte, NC for one last visit before we take off and got to see the event.

Simple Ingenuity Makes Life So Much Easier

We spent half of Saturday and Sunday attaching the rigging to the masts and seemed to be making good progress. We had to have all of this finished in order for the masts to be stepped on Monday. By Monday morning we still had a little work to do, but time flew by and we didn’t seem to be moving fast enough. Around 3:00, we were finally ready.

Hoisting The Main Mast

It’s a little scary to see your mast floating above your boat; they’re incredibly heavy and awkward when not in their home on a boat. But the main mast went into place without incident. Poor Bill (that’s Mr. deRouville) had to contend with our mess below. We had cleaned most of it for Evan & Jenn’s visit, but as soon as they left, I started pulling more junk out to pack. Bags of clothes, dog bed, companionway ladder were strewn everywhere. Once the mast was in place, we started to attach the shrouds to the chain plates. Three out of the four fit. Later I went back and found the error; exhausted and rushed Joey had made a simple mistake. Oh well, we’ll just make due until a time when it can be properly fixed.

As all of this was happening, the wind picked up, the skies darkened and it began to sprinkle. For those of you unfamiliar with boats, on most boats the mast fits through a hole in the deck and comes through the cabin and sits on a mast step (base). Not too much water was coming in as it sprinkled, but it was frustrating as we had been trying to keep water out for the last two weeks. The mizzen mast was hoisted and went right into place – it went even smoother than the main mast. and BOOM! The sky opened up and it started to pour. We still had to attach the shrouds and everyone was getting soaked. The rain continued to get heavier and heavier and even though the masts were in place, there was still a gap between the mast and the deck. As the torrent slowed, we sat in the rain affixing the mast boot for the main mast.

In The Water & Masts Up

And now, Tuesday morning, it’s absolutely pouring with huge rolls of thunder and lightning. The mast boot isn’t leaking! (It’s the first thing on the boat that doesn’t leak!) Joey said he wouldn’t mind the rain if we were actually sailing instead of sitting in a slip. I think I’ll let him take that watch…