If someone ever tells you the cruising life is easy, trust me, they’ve never really done it and have no freaking clue what goes on out here! Let’s start with the fact that I awoke for my watch last night feeling like complete and total crap. My sinuses were all stopped up, nose was running and I had a headache that could stop a raging elephant in its tracks. Of course I hated the thought of going on watch but during a passage is no time to be sick. We both need our rest and I had to let Dan get his so up to the cockpit I crawled with tissues, my soda and two jackets. It’s not cold but I was feeling a bit feverish.

Two hours into my watch I had to wake Dan to do a sail change. We lost all wind and the sails were flogging. I hated to do it but it had to be done. For those hardcore female sailors out there who are questioning why I had to wake him to do the sail change, well, that’s how we do it on Dazzler. I’m perfectly okay with allowing my Captain to make the decision. Yes, I know what to do but this is an unforgiving world out here and I know that Dan has far more knowledge and skill than I. I’m not afraid or ashamed to say so.

We ended up dropping the jib and turning on the engine. There just wasn’t enough wind to keep this big ol’ beast moving and we do not sit and flounder. That’s why they made engines; so we don’t have to bob like a cork right?
I told him to sleep a half hour longer since he had to get up but all I wanted to do was crawl back in bed. After my watch I finally got to do just that and I slept for four straight hours.

I woke up still feeling crappy but I figured Dan was probably ready for some more rest. He finally went down for a nap around 0930 but was back up on deck a half hour later. He wanted to get us back sailing again so we could turn off the engine. I was sitting in the cockpit when I saw him pushing the spinnaker sail out of the doorway. “Oh hell no! Please, let’s not do this now.” I’m thinking to myself. Don’t get me wrong, I love to fly the spinnaker…when I’m feeling good; but it’s a lot of work to put this massive sail into action and I just wasn’t feeling it today. Dan knew what I was thinking and promised to do most of the work. Even at that it’s a bitch! This thing is 1300 sq. ft. It’s 350 sq. ft. BIGGER than my last two bedroom apartment!

Of course there was no talking him out of it so up on deck we went. A half hour later she was flying and I was headed below. I sat around the table and fell back asleep for another couple of hours. Little did I know at the time but flying the spinnaker quite possibly prevented a major disaster aboard our beloved Dazzler.

After my nap Dan finally went down for a couple of hours. By the time he got up it was time for the net and after that, time to douse the spinnaker for the evening. We never fly her at night. It was about 1630 when we went on deck to start taking her down. It was a bit tougher than normal as the winds had kicked up but we finally got her on deck. I was standing at the mast pulpit awaiting my next order from the Captain when I saw something that didn’t look right. Dan has me trained to always be on the lookout for something unusual or out of place. This was definitely unusual! I waited until he was done getting the sail tied on top of the dink and then asked him to come take a look.

The gooseneck, which is the large metal bracket that attaches the boom to the mast, was separating from the mast. It is riveted in place and several of the rivets on the starboard side had pulled out. This could be very, very bad! The last thing on earth you want is to be flying the mainsail and have the boom separate and start thrashing side to side. It would be like an flying 16’ metal battering ram destroying anyone or anything in its path. No, not a good thing at all! Of course you know Dan, he has all the tools and parts to fix it so off he goes below to get his bag of tricks. And, score one for Jilly for recognizing a potentially dangerous issue!

We got the starboard side rivets out and replaced and then moved on to the port side. Uh oh! The ones on the port side pulled out completely with the pressure of the others being tightened. I say a little prayer as he sets about trying to get this massive boom positioned so he can put the rivets in on the port side. Before he can do that he has to get the gooseneck up flush to the mast…much easier said than done. Keep in mind we are doing this on a boat that is bouncing up and down in 2 meter swells with 10-15 knots of wind. Working on a moving platform is always tricky. Tools are sliding around and constantly having to be corralled. I felt like the great cat herder out there on deck. Just when I got the drill secure a punch starts to roll away and then a wrench starts to wander off. It’s a never ending battle that gets harder as the swells get larger and the wind picks up.

As Dan’s moving the boom around trying to get it in place I’m standing on the portside deck. All of the sudden I heard the creak of metal and then a snap. All of the newly installed rivets on the starboard side broke loose and now the boom is literally dangling in mid air held only by the mainsail and the lines that keep it attached to the deck. “Holy mother of God!” I blurt out. I’m sure the look on my face was priceless. I probably looked like one of those cartoons with my eyes popping out as my jaw bounces to the deck and back up causing the top of my head to shoot into the air. You know how I talk about the sphincter factor when we cruise through the reefs? Well let me tell you…it shot immediately to raging red, ultra tight mode in about a millisecond. Dan, however, was cool as an a mountain breeze as he stood there looking at this like he expected it to happen. Of course I’m certain that it was all for my benefit. You know, keep the little woman calm. He studies the situation for a moment then heads below to get more tools as I’m watching nightfall approach while saying more prayers.
As he’s working on the gooseneck he figures out what caused the problem. The gooseneck had seized up and was no longer swinging side to side so each time the boom made a swing it was just pulling at the bracket and the rivets. Okay, so now he has to fix this before he can attach it again. This turns out to be a much bigger issue to deal with but with perseverance and a big hammer he gets it moving again. Now we have to get the boom in place. We had to move it from its original location on the mast because the rivet holes had become enlarged so we used a halyard to pull the boom up a little higher and hold it in place. Dan drills the new holes and just as it’s getting dark he’s able to put the new rivets into the gooseneck.

Two hours after I pointed out this issue we get all the tools put away and I’m suggesting that we don’t put up the sail tonight…just motor until morning so we have light when we test it. Dan won’t have it. “I have to have faith in my work” he says as he heads out to hoist the mainsail. More prayers are said on my end. The good news is that was over six hours ago and all is still good. Once again I say….there is NOTHING my man can’t fix!

Oh yeah…the rivet tool he used to put those beauties into the mast…more than once I’ve looked at it and thought to myself…why in the heck do we need this? He’s never used it and it’s just taking up valuable room I could use for shoes. Well now I’ve seen why we have it and honestly, I think I have enough shoes!

So, here I am back on watch. I’m still not 100% but getting better. I’ve thanked God for the blessings of today and I can’t help but think how us putting up that spinnaker put me in the right place to see this potentially disastrous problem. Thank you God!

Until next time,
Jilly & Dan

Jilly says…
This afternoon we enjoyed a lovely cruise through the Tongan islands. We left Neiafu with an unknown destination in mind. I mean, we had an idea but where we’d actually drop the hook depended upon the winds and the water. After a couple of hours we decided on a little bay just between Pangaimotu Island and Tapana Island. It’s absolutely perfect! There are three other boats here on moorings but they all appear empty. Must belong to locals or maybe to Pilangi (tourists) who’ve traveled home or something.
We enjoyed a wonderful afternoon here in this spot. It’s nice to be away from all the boats and people of Neiafu. Don’t get us wrong, we like it there and it’s nice to be able to go ashore and get supplies when you need them but we really prefer the peace and quiet of a remote anchorage and here we have just that.
A Tongan family in their small, wooden boat stopped at Dazzler this evening just before sunset. It was a husband and wife with their young son and seventeen year old daughter. They were from the village on the other side of the lagoon. Nada, the wife, was selling her crafts. She had beautiful baskets and jewelry with black pearls. Knowing we would be in the island areas with little need for cash we didn’t have much on us. Of course my man wasn’t going to let that stop him from helping this family. After all, they are trying to support their family and when you know how they live you feel like you have to do something. Yep, he bought a basket with almost all of the rest of our cash. That’s my guy…always trying to save the world. I was tearing up when they left. He’s such an amazing guy. He would give someone in need the shirt off his back. So often he reminds me of my daddy.
Nada and her husband invited us to their church the following morning. Afterward they would have us over to their home for a feast. We opted out because we would feel a need to pay them and of course they got most of our cash. Plus, we really want to do the church thing on Matamaka with Chief Ladu and those we met last year. As you are about to find out, it turns out that God had a plan and it was not for us to attend church.

Captain Dan says…
There we were situated in the very nice peaceful Tapana anchorage in eastern VaVa‘u, Tonga. The evening was upon us and the twilight rituals were ready to commence. First up shower time. Up onto the deck for a fresh water hose down and clean up. This time was different. I decided to try Jilly’s shower technique of rubbing the soap/shampoo onto the dry hair and body and then hose off. What could go wrong? This technique works if you have an adequate fresh water supply.
When I pulled back the handle of the sprayer, fresh water just dribble out of the end of the nozzle. “WHAT?” I holler down to Jilly and ask her to reset the water pump and check the water gauge. Everything seemed to be good until she checked the gauge and found it to be selected as the fuel gauge. When she flipped the selector to water. These fateful words came up from the cabin below, “We’re out of water!” Hummmm. Luckily, we had a shower bag full of fresh water so I could rinse off. Whew!
Now it’s about 1930 hours and we needed to fire up the water maker. Jilly fired up the water maker while I finished up with my shower. As I stepped down into the galley, I could hear that the water maker didn’t sound quite right. A brief inspection revealed the primary feed pump was not working. The evening of relaxing had to be put on hold while I diagnosed the issue. First up was to check the power supply. You know kind of like how those out sourced technical support guys ask their first question, “ Is it plugged it?” Well, the power was in good supply. Next up was to check the switch to the pump motor. It didn’t seem to be working so I quickly changed out the switch and the pump still did not work.
Okay, now is the time I know I’m going to be in deep Bandini as I need to get my box of water maker supplies from deep in the bowels of the quarter berth, AKA small garage, packed like the truck of the Beverly Hillbillies moving out of the sticks. So, we proceed to unpack the garage to get to the box of supplies that lives at the south end of the northbound part of the quarter berth. There it is! The new water maker feed pump complete with pump head and pressure cutoff switch. It was all shinny and new. A beautiful sight to behold. I think I might have even shed a tear.
After about an hour, the new pump had been installed and the old pump stowed away for possible rebuild at a later time in paradise. The water maker was up and running again and I needed a cold beer and another shower.
Just so you get the whole picture of the repair, both feed pumps are installed under the galley sink with very little excess room to get your hands into. The doors of the compartment had to be removed. It’s hot and steamy in the cabin because it started raining outside and we had to close everything up. I’ve got my trusty headlamp on for lighting. I’m sweating like a cold beer in the hot sun while I’m sitting on the floor of the galley in my underwear working to get the issue solved. Lessons learned:
1. Keep the water/fuel gauge selected to water. 2. DON’T put soap on until you know you have water available to rinse it off. 3. Having the right spare parts is awesome!
Until next time, be clean and happy! Cheers!
Captain Dan and Jilly
P.S.
Like I told you God had other plans for us. We needed to stay on the boat the following morning rather than go to church because we had to make water. As mama always told us, “If you want to see God laugh, tell Him your plans.”