In the first three parts of this series of posts I described the equipment problems I was having in some detail. In contrast, the sailing side of this shakedown passage was relatively trouble-free.

I had a rigging contractor at HHN inspect the rig, completing the deck level things while Phywave was still in the boatyard and going aloft once it was in the water. Other than a few chafed lines to replace, they found the staysail furler was very hard to turn. I rarely use the staysail; in fact, couldn’t remember the last time I used it, so I wasn’t aware of any issues.

The problem was in the drum mechanics. Getting replacement parts from France would have taken weeks but the riggers managed to find a complete new furler, the same model, already in the US so I told them to replace the whole thing, which they did. Overall, the furler replacement, rig tuning, and various line replacements didn’t delay my departure. HHN put Phywave in the water on Monday, June 1, and I sailed away from HHN early on the morning of June 5.

Skipping the C-D canal exit at the north end of the Bay, I sailed and motored south under the Chesapeake Bay bridge to the open ocean, with one overnight stop in Little Bay. Once on open water I quickly got back into the rythmn of working the boat and sails and wind, generally sailing east and north toward Newfoundland until engine problems and other issues interrupted my progress, as decribed in Part 1.

One unexpected issue occured with the anchor. I had replaced my rusty Spade anchor with a new Rocna Vulcan anchor, which is a Rocna anchor without a rollbar. Because of the wide, curved anchor shank, it doesn’t fit well under my bowsprit. It hangs very low compared to the Spade anchor I had before. I didn’t think this would matter much but I was wrong. As soon as I got into rough seas with the bow plunging into a wavefront, water caught the anchor and dragged the chain a bit out of the windlass. Eventually this became great enough the anchor was free to swing and bang around on the bow. This clanking was a new sound I’d never heard before and quickly realized it must be a loose anchor. Using the windlass to reel it back in only worked temporarily. I set the chain hook on the chain to hold it but that eventually bounced free. Finally, I took a short piece of line and tied a link in the chain to the strong cleat in the anchor locker. That solved the problem but isn’t a very elegant solution. Normally, I can drive into an anchorage and drop and set the anchor from the helm using the chain counter without ever having to go to the bow. Now I’ll have to go to the bow and undo the supplemental line first. I wish I had my Spade anchor back.

So that’s where things stand on the afternoon of June 25. Phywave is in berth 96 at the Royal Newfoundland Yacht Club with no firm departure date set yet.