OK - what broke?

[Maryanne]Yesterday Kyle finally made it up the mast to inspect the rigging in the safety of a calm anchorage. This gave us a little additional insight into what may have happened during the trip - especially our day two storm issue.

So here we write about the various failures (or anything negative discovered) on the boat during the 1800+nm journey. We are still piecing together clues for the major rigging failures - but naturally are glad to be safe and well. Both PCI and Selden are helping us determine what happened and what might need replacing of the standing rigging. I'll post more as we discover more info. (FYI our boat is Gemini 105Mc, hull #976, 2007)

• Genoa base Furler unit – cap came unscrewed, lifted on luff. We surmise it then somehow caught and unlocked/opened the tack quick release shackle. Caused jib to unfurl from double reefed to fully open in a storm, genoa got twisted around screacher halyard, and took some thought process to recover to deck! In fact we think this led to a whole slew of related incidents... (See Day 2 report for the actual event
  
  
  
  • Need to replace 2x bolts for cap – parts on order
    
  • Subsequent inspection (1700 nm later, once at anchor) of the upper stay rigging shows severely distorted metal up there – need to consider unstepping mast to repair / replace items. We had no idea of this distortion or we would have turned around / or found harbor earlier. – to seek expert help
    
  • Subsequent inspection of the lower stbd spreader shows both bolts have sheared - need to understand how we can replace these (i.e. how to remove the old bolt parts now in the mast! - to seek expert help
    
  • Stbd flag halyard broke away (cable tie failed and it dropped to deck) – fixed.
    
  • Later in the sail the lower genoa furler unit broke free (see Day 14 report. A split pin failed, the clevis pin slipped out and left the unit swinging on the deck. We managed to recover and reinstall this, however the whole unit seemed shorter (we assumed we were imagining it). Eventual refitting involved removing the backstays to allow the forward stay to reach its fittings. – Fixed, but to review with expert help
    
  • Mast Head light stopped working – day 2 – replaced with spare bulb – need to order new bulb
    
  • Jib sun cover stitching broken – Repaired at local sailmaker in Antigua
    
  • Radar reflector skew – leave bent or fix when mast issues addressed
    
  • Gelcoat by anchor roller chipped, needs patch (I assume from attempts to restrain the flailing jib using the anchor hook) – To fix
    
  • Mainsail head slider failed – Spare parts on order - also need to email Selden with details
    
  • Holes / stretch areas in Genoa – presumably from battle on day 2 – repaired with sail tape – need to find extra sail tape when possible
    
  • Latest find - we are seeing slight rust stains on the starboard side shrouds, just in one strand (of the 3) in each shroud. I assume this is a sign of the stress the shrouds were under at some point.
    
  
  
• Ring pin on stbd preventer pulled free – replaced
  
• Still to check for water in rear buoyancy tanks – to check
  
• Water in tool locker – to identify where coming from and resolve
  
• Water in bilges (pumped daily- about 10 manual pumps per bilge) - to identify where coming from and resolve
  
• Water in Port step locker – 3-4” drained at end of trip to identify where coming from and resolve
  
• Water in sail locker – 12” – removed plug and drained while at sea (should not have left plug in for this trip – added to check list) fixed.
  
• Leaking galley hatch – can’t find any obvious reason why, luckily leaks to floor, not on sofa area – turned out to be a small (peppercorn size) seed stuck in hinge area – which prevented full /proper closure - but now removed, all seems well – whew!
  
• Leak in Port q berth – beneath wind generator support pole mount – need to rebed.
  
• Galley light fitting – loose connections – fixed
  
• Stb Jib winch playing up – to service - to service
  
• Oar sheared while rowing Portland Pudgy – new oars on order at local store.
  
• Wall between Stbd Q berth and fridge – bolt/nut came undone/loose – glue useless– to replace / reinforce attachment points
  
• Loose lifelines – mostly on stbd side. Not heat related? Still trying to understand why this happened. To adjust in the mean time
  
• Stbd bulkhead (galley – masterberth) – more noisy than usual, door trim loosened. Investigate for any issues
  
• MOB Pole – flag stitching – to fix / replace
  
• Stanchion mounted furler line roller – pin lost – to replace
  
• Mag compass – needs adjusting (never done this, tried at sea, unable to adjust correctly) – research manual / info – possible issue with compass
  
• Galley sliding door – handle broke free (“glass” cracked off on handle end) – try superglue for now.
  
• Rear Nav light – internal corrosion noticed – clean / have spare bulb to hand – possibly new unit
  
• Star finder – 2x15 degrees charts, no 25 degrees chart! – contact Weems & Plath for replacement
  
• Autopilot acting up once we passed 1000nm on trip log – reset to zero – autopilot ok again – quirk noted.
  
• Cockpit locker bungie lost – to replace
  
• 4x cockpit throwable cushions lost – to replace
  

I hope to do a more positive "What worked" post once we have settled down a little.