We´re all up at 0600 today. We have a few chores to get done before we set off. Some emails to write, the radar reflector to re-position, the engine fuel filter bulbs to empty, rubbish to get ashore and the fuel dock to visit for fuel and water. Blah, blah, blah…

When all is done and we are on the fuel dock at last, Sonny and her husband come over to say hello/goodbye just as we are finishing. So does the Marina owner whom we’ve not met yet as it’s been his days off. We compliment him on the facilities before finishing with French toast for brekkie and setting off behind our trusty pilot escort to the open waters.

Not twenty minutes out we have an engine issue! While Huw is looking at it he sheers a bleed screw which is a bit serious so we have to shout the pilot and direct him to go back to the marina.

On the way back Bernice digs through loads of jars of bits looking for a match while Huw manages to get the other part of the screw still in the engine out! By the time we are back at the marina we have a new screw, not a bleed screw but with the same size thread, already inserted and tested and we’re ready to go again. Oops! We think the guy in the pilot boat is amused by the whole thing rather than grumpy.

Not much wind again but Richard decides that a little deviation to pick some up is in order. It doesn’t last long as it ends up being a huge deviation in order to get enough wind to sail and if we have to motorsail we’re best to do it in roughly the right direction.

During his watch Huw helps Richard put up the cat 1 sail, its supposed to be a better choice of headsail for light winds. But during Bernice’s watch the metal car that guides the sheets to the cockpit (the ropes from the sail) comes flying across the deck as the track its on sheers and screws pull out of deck. It was very loud bang and quite a scary chunk of metal to have fly towards you in the night.

She wakes Richard up and they realise what’s happened. He prepares to bring the sail down when the shackle attaching the sheet to the sail comes open and that too frees itself and flies across the deck! Ouch!
When its all cleared away we are back on mainsail and engine only. The rest of the evening is pretty uneventful and the fishing line to goes back out at day break.