A new sail, a stuck sail and Steph Sent upwards

After a wonderful week in Salcombe, we headed 'round the corner' to Plymouth. We had a list of things to get done and Plymouth was a good a place as any to do them. Also at this time we caught up with our Friends Tom & James on their Contessa 32 'Katisha'

So on the 15thJuly, we left Plymouth at 14:15, with a nice easterly F5 breeze to help us on our way. We’d barely cleared the breakwater when the mainsail jammed about three-quarters of the way up the mast whilst attempting to hoist it. This has happened once before. The main halyard twists, rolls over the top of the pulley at the masthead and gets wedged down the side. The sail won’t go up, and it won’t come down either. In the conditions, it wasn't really viable to turn back in, but we still needed to get the sail down. So, for the first time while we were under way, Steph went up the mast. It was a great team effort. Occasionally, though perhaps more often than we’d like, these team efforts are required. I rigged everything to send Steph up. Beau took the helm, and Floss, much to her dismay, was kept on standby in case anything else was needed. We didn’t want sails flogging everywhere while Steph was up there, so we motor sailed behind a full Genoa on a close-hauled course. She took a spare line up with her and attached it so that we could pull the jammed halyard back down and get the mainsail under control. With that sorted, we carried on under genoa alone for the rest of the trip owning to teh fact that the main was now out of commission for a while. I think Steph was actually quite pleased about going up the mast. It’s a pretty cool part of this life, although I’ve never done it under way myself. Thirty miles was all for the day, then with a little excitement to keep us honest. A lovely entrance to Fowey.