Today we crossed Lake Erie from Erieau, Ontario to Cleveland, Ohio. I received several messages asking why we had done so and if we were having problems. I wish the answer were that we didn't want to miss The Beatles Exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but that's not what brought us to Cleveland.
Main Sail Damage Update
Ten days ago, we suffered damage to the main sail. We applied sail tape and used the sail without more damage occurring. We planned to monitor the sail for additional damage and get it repaired if its state worsened. Yesterday evening, we unfurled the main to inspect it and there were a lot of new tears. Prior to departure Doug had a track attached to mast parallel to the sail furling slot. It turns out that the screws for attaching the track were protruding on the inside of the mast and tearing the sail while furling in high winds.
Locating a Sailmaker
Doug located a sailmaker that was willing to get the repair done in short order for us if we came to Cleveland. We motored across Lake Erie on Thursday and are staying at the Cleveland Yachting Club (CYC). CYC is a fine yacht club, on the order of the San Diego Yacht Club. We are not members of the club, and they don't accept transient boats. It turns out that the one sailmaker that was willing to help us quickly was Richard Wilber, of Sobstad Sailmakers Midwest. Richard happens to be a former Commodore of CYC. He fixed us up at CYC in so many ways. The staff was amazing, as was our total experience at the Cleveland Yacht Club.
Due to the fact that the trysail track mounting screws created the problem , we needed to remove the track. The track goes up the mast twenty-five feet. We don't have a bosun's seat to get one of us up the mast so Doug got back on the phone and located a rigger.
Michelle "Gidget" the Rigger
of Ulman Sails, had to come out two times to remove the trysail track. Why? A storm came up and things got wild for Gidget as the mast was swinging from side to side. If you've ever been up a mast, you know this isn't much fun.
The Repaired Main Sail
Here is the repaired mainsail. It looks good. And we're off to Canada once again!