Lost the Main Halyard

Back in the office Monday morning after a spectacular weekend for my niece’s baptism in Watch Hill, RI. We had amazing weather and after the service, an opportunity to enjoy swimming in the still warm Atlantic ocean as well as a chance to get out on the water. Unfortunately, though we were poised to sail yesterday afternoon under clear skies with about 15 knots…we made an error that curtailed our plans abruptly. We’d taken the launch out to our hosts Watch Hill-15, a classic Herreshoff racing sloop, and were making her ready. I was kneeling in the bow hanking the jib and our Captain was unrolling the main. He handed to the main halyard to an inexperienced crew member, she got distracted and let it loose, he proceeded to pull the halyard to the top of the mast and we were no longer going sailing. A big disappointment but that’s the nature of boats…one mistake or moment of inattention can screw the whole thing up. We made up for it by barreling out to Fishers Island on a classic Chris Craft speedboat. Not a fan of motorboats but this baby is one elegant ride (see above picture).

Some nice feedback from Zephyr reader “Jarrett” over the weekend. He suggested I add my email address (wbmiv35@gmail.com) to the site. As well he pointed me to a Wooden Boat magazine-featured design for a sea chest – a possible baptismal gift for my niece. Finally he clued us in to the Sag Harbor Charity Cup Challenge out on Long Island this past weekend. We’ll look for more info/photos. Thanks Jarrett!