Home of Jazz - Finally tacked

Today was a really rough day with winds in the 30+ region for many
hours. At 19.00 I tacked when the baro stopped falling. Shook a reef out
and changed a jib in difficult sea conditions, even dangeros to work at
deck. Et maintenant le captain va cherger son couchette.

Home of Jazz - Upwind battle

What a magnificent race this is. A great variety of sailing conditions
including upwind sailing in a force 5/6. I am trying to catch up a few
boats if possible. Truant and FanFan (both also single handed I believe)
passed me when I had mainsail problems and I am trying hard to come back
now. A warm wind is blowing from SW. Just a T-shirt under my foulies.

Home of Jazz - Chapter Three

This leg seems to have three chapters: chapter one "Reaching Down",
chapter two "Depression Crossing our Path", and now we just started the
third and last chapter "Beating into the Azores". The chapters are
devided by extended calms.
Reaching Down went pretty well for me, but I did not very well with the
low and suffered nasty damage that slowed me down for a day. Now beating
into the Azores has started. Over the next couple of days the wind is
right on the noze, it will increase a bit before shifting to the west.
Last night there was a spectacular moonset. In combination with some sea
fog this created an amazing light show with strange reflections.

HOME OF JAZZ MAINSAIL FIXED

I can't tell you how happy I am that the main is fixed. Although still
choppy seas, I decided to give it a go in stead of waiting till after
dark for the calms to set in according to the grib files. In my head I
repeated every stept to take for the repair a hundred times today.
Almost I blew it. Tired now but very happy that all the mainsail cars in
the (square) top are replaced. On my way again! I will have to catch up a
few boats upwind. Tadaa!!

MAINSAIL HOME OF JAZZ

I haven't been able to repair the mainsail cars yet due to lumpy seas.
The wind will drop tonight and hopefully conditions will get better to
take the main off the mast track. Due to this Home of Jazz has sailed
all day with 3 reefs. Better then nothing, and not very racy, but in the
right direction.

MAIN SAIL TROUBLE

Yesterday I was becalmed most of the day until finally the SE winds took
me into the depression. I took Home of Jazz just west of the centre of
the low and reduced sail for the heavy NE winds that followed during
the night. Very careful with 3 reefs and a small jib. A bit underpowered
but I have to be careful with my mainsail. Early in the morning things
went wrong. I decided to gybe. First I prepared the manouvre in detail
and it all went well, a smooth gybe in 23 knots. But when I looked up
I was that the headboard and 2 cars had broken down. The top part of the
main is completely disconnected from the mast.
On the delivery trip to Falmouth I also broke a mainsail car, so I know
how to repair it. I have just enough spares, including a headboard.
Conditions are too rough now for repairs, so i will try to prevent
further damage. Taking down the sail might cause other cars to break
too. So i will continue under three reefs until the sea is a bit calmer.
i will have to take the main competely from the mast, which is not easy.
I have only one possibility to repair and it better be successful or I
can't sail upwind anymore. Guess what is in the forecast? Indeed, so I
have one day to fix this.

Change

Day 4 was a beautiful sailing day, with in the afternoon some nice
sunshine too. During the night the wind died out and now I am becalmed.
The grib files show that a depression will cross our path from NW to SE.
This will bring some strong winds for tonight. So I better prepare
myself today.