Brian and I took the boat out Sunday. We both came to the conclusion that Spruce Run is a weird lake. The wind is constantly changing direction and velocity. At one point, the wind changed and turned the boat over 90 degrees before we could react!
We also got blown up onto the shore again coming back and lost a batten again. I'll have to tape them in place I guess. That just makes it a little harder to furl the sail around the mast. But I can't keep losing battens.
We sailed out for about an hour and dropped the anchor for lunch. It was fun and very relaxing to just sit and bob around in the water. Coming back was when we had the challenges.
I need to adjust the stays and shrouds again. I am getting way too much weather helm, to the point where a 1 1/2" wide red oak tiller is bending while you try to hold a course! I can fix that by adjusting the length of the stays.
II need to also look at different ways of mounting the motor. I added some reenforcement to the transom, but that changed the angle the motor sits at, so I couldn't use it in shallow water. I might have to bite the bullet and buy a mount bracket. (ouch!)
I have some time - I go on standby today and won't be able to take the Reenie K out for a 2 weeks! Damn!
Next time, we're either going to Lake Hopatcong in North Jersey or in the Raritan Bay. Time to find a place where the wind doesn't change every 30 seconds.