Continued
Kind of getting wild. Here are some shots after collapsing swells pass. Should have got some shots shooting backwards. But then might have scared myself.
I had stopped to pump a few times cursing myself for not inserting a pump out let.
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=29921&hilit=Bailer+Access+portUnlike Maui crossing in 08 the center hatch would take in almost as mush water as I was able to discharge. Realize that on some down swells the nose flooded with water was burying too much and I was often waist deep in water.
It was along in here somewhere that Kelly's rudder broke. We were well prepared (as the new AI rudder is the same as the TI) with extra rudder pins. But it was not the pin that broke. It was the bottom stainless bolt that secures the rudder mounting housing to the hull. That should not have broken as the pin is the designed failure point. So Kelly ends up using the yak paddle to steer with. Had we been trying to go up wind BIG problems.
So after 29 -30 miles we hobbled into Keauhou. Kelly went first sucessfully. Furled sail and pedalling like heck.
Muttering to myself not to screw up a great day I did so. A small reef at the 90 degree turn managed to reach out
and knock my pedal fin. I wasn't sure what was going on as I seemed to have no power. Then the drive locked up with one side of the center pin locked and the other unlocked, a problem I had been having for months. (And no not all of these were heel pressure on the locking devices.
)
With the threat of being slammed on the reef I made a decision and unleashed the sail. I could tack OK away from the entrance, but not back too it, losing ground. I had to point higher in 20-24+knot winds
Em where is that centerboard. Gone!
It had escaped my slip knot that held the down board line in the down position. Running down wind I had pulled the board long ago after the sucessful start at Pohoiki and one of my waist high plunges overcame the knot and my knee. With my attention diverted to steering I hadn't noticed it's absence.
I made about three tacks out and three back and kept losing ground to the entrance. I kept hoping I could conjure up something when I finally freed the drive. I found the idller cable had slipped off, or perhaps went when I hit the reef. I manage to fix it and think I might be able to now gain ground. Nope the wind was so strong I could barely make a sucessful tack. Jibing would have lost me even more.
So God calls my name. Er ....it was Kelly about 20 yards away. I hadn't heard him yelling from the shore, but in the water sound travels just over the surface. I had tried furling the sail to see if I could gain ground with just the pedals. I was drifting faster then he could swim. Smart guy he had me pull the sail and I was able to hold my spot with the pedals.
He got in and started down swell further INLAND toward the cliffs! Turned out I was only a quarter mile or so from Halape. If you look at Rebecca's shots at Halape you can see where We came in down the left side of the photo, then swung around the rocks into the small inlet. Local knowledge prevailed over a combination of failures.
The Halape pics were taken the next morning after I had my donut with a birthday candle. Kelly and I sailed the TI fairly quickly from Keauhou to Halape with some difficulty using the yak paddle. (Thanks Kimberly for making the 2 mile hike of lava to get there) Ergo on the beach we swapped paddles and he had a mush easier time running to Punalu'u with the canoe paddle. He had also learned that having the front passenger frequently adjusting the sail in combination with the paddle made for much easier steering sans rudder.
So we launched as the stuff coming into the inlet was getting bigger. And outside almost the same conditions as Saturday. We figured a fast trip over the 20 miles.
Here'e part of the Kau desert:
Had about two hours of good wind, then it died out and had to pedal in.
Quite a weekend.
Don't forget for Kimberly's shots go:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/24697252 ... 243455598/