Put the boat into Lake Mendota, WI today, and headed out in nice winds. THEN, I noticed the forestay slide up into the jib! WTH! THEN I saw the shackle pin almost all the way out, literally caught on the furler by no more than a thread! Headed up, had my crew lean into the mast, dropped the main and hooked the halyard to the front crossbar and pulled it TIGHT. (Not as organized and well thought out as it sounds here, believe me.) Lashed the jib to the furler with the end of the halyard and tied up to the nearest dock. (Thank heavens for the Torqeedo motor - always ready.) Luckily, nothing was lost (since I carry no spares). My crew and I were able to fix it and had a great rest of the day sailing. Lessons learned: I washed the jib a few weeks ago, and thought I had tightened the shackle down. Evidently not. So I'm going to Locktite and safety wire it (need to drill a hole in the pin tang). Going to recheck all my standing rigging. Going to put together an emergency kit with a couple spare shackles, some clevis pins and ring dings, and some strong line for emergency lashing (I'm a climber so I know a lot of knots and ways to tie things off.)
Whew. Close call. Thank God. (that it was ONLY a close call and not a mast falling on me or my crew!)
_________________ Yet another Bob! "Firefly" - 2012 Hobie Getaway with wings and spinnaker "Sparky" - 1978 Sunfish (OK, it's not a Hobie, but it's a fun little craft) Too many canoes and kayaks
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