So here I am after over 4 decades sailing, and I just had my first dismasting. What fun!
Last night, (Sunday, February 4th 2024) Northern California was hit by a really fun weather event. Up at the Bitchin Ranch we had gusts over 80 knots. To the west they had up to 100 MPH winds. Add to this biblical amounts of rain so Jody & I could watch our patio furniture go sailing off the front porch.
But the real fun was going on down on Lake Oroville, which we overlook, and where we keep “Attitude” our “new to us” 1979 San Juan 28.
Ya see, the winds were just as strong there. So for the first time in over 4 decades I got to experience a dismasting!
No, we weren’t on it at the time, but we did get to “enjoy” trying to get a soggy sail, mast and rigging out of the water. It took over 5 hours in the pouring rain, with Jack (our friend who lives on the ranch) and I, and our friend Hal Stoner, who had the misfortune to be at the docks when we arrived. Fellow sailors John and his daughter Leana were commandeered as they walked down the dock.
After about an hour trying to figure out how to do such a task, we finally were able to get the mast detached, but it seems Lake Oroville is a little light on sailing vessel help. No haul-out. No crane. So the five of us had the pleasure of lifting the mast, complete with soggy sails, out of the water and onto a dock.
The fact that it was raining harder than I had ever seen it rain in Northern California, kinda added to the fun! By the time we had it off, we were all soaked to the bones. Now all we gotta do is figure out how to repair the mast and sails, and then to re-rig it with oversized rigging to replace the original 40 year old gear!
