SV Loukia

Dont try to unfurl the headsail with the halyard slack When we got our shiny new furler installed the rigger used a halyard that was way too long.  Not a big issue but it looked a bit messy at the bottom of the mast even coiled up.  All our halyard are at the mast not in the cockpit so it was coiled up at the mast pulpit. To shorten the halyard one must know how much to shorten by and the only way to do that is to lower the genoa to work out how much we need as too short and the tail would go up the mast and out of reach too easily.  So as instructed by the rigger (or was it a random Internet post) we release the tension on the halyard when not sailing.  Forgetting I had done that I start to unfurl the genoa in order to lower it when it became hard to unfurl.  Looking up through the binoculars I see the halyard is wrapped around the top of the foil......bugger. Out with the ATN Mast Climbing equipment all shiny and new in it's bag.  This will be fun said I with a grimace.  I had ne

Alright alright, we should have known better but it's been so long since we've been sailing and had a few days on the boat. Sure the forecast was saying 20-25knots (and gusts a little higher) which in itself I have no problem with.  In fact it's 'spirited sailing'  The issue was, we wanted to go to Fitzroy Island.  It's our little escape location.  But sadly it lies directly upwind of us once we get out of the harbour. Our little Westsail 32 is a heavy full keeled boat that does go to windward 'OK' but she has a bluff bow.  A bluff bow is great because she's a pretty dry boat as any waves we hit are pushed to the side and dont come raining down over the top and onto us in the cockpit.  One the other hand, the energy used to push the water to the sides is taken from the forward motion....meaning we go slow down and in some sever cases if the waves are steep and tall enough she will nearly stop.   So to try and counter this we would bear away (point a