Blogs

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Haven' got a clew?

The sound of a sewing machine brings back childhood memories for many
people. The sound of the mechanical whirring quickly reminds me of my
mum on her sewing machine many years ago. Its quite a comforting sound
and a fond memory but out here in the middle of an ocean race it is a
different story. One week ago we ripped our heavy weight spinnaker from
starboard clew to port leech. Our heavy weight spinnaker is the one we
rely on through the toughest conditions and the highest speeds. After a
week of constant repair work painfully machine stiching patches to bind
the torn edges together we arrive at the most technical and crucial
point - remaking the clew. Until this race I have been a stranger to a
needle and thread since I was forced to attempt to make a waistcoat in
my school textlie class aged sixteen (most of which I think my mum made
in the end). It is now up to me and two other crew members to
reconstruct this massive load baring component of our spinnaker. The
clew is made up of six layers of heavy dacron reinforced by webbing
strops, then from the end of this clew the sail emmerges made first of
three layers, then two layers, then one. When the spinnaker ripped it
tore along this edge between the sail and the clew which has meant we
have had to constuct panelling to insert like a fillet into the six
layers of the clew. This then has to be hand stitched into position,
using a bradle to force a hole through the layers in which to insert
the needle and thread. More patching is required to reinforce the
meeting of the sail and clew, this is again fixed by painful hand
stitching and machine stitching on the thinner layers. Every seam that
we have stitched has to be reinforced by dacron and every layer of
patching and stitching checked on both sides for tension. Often
stitching has to be unpicked and re-done as any areas of extra tension
will be loaded further when hoisted and cause the spinnaker to tear
again. The conditions in which we have to work in make the task twice as
hard. We have to screw the clew to the floor boards and strap ourselves
and the sewing machine to the walls as we are beating into the wind, our
sail loft is in the bows at a 45 degree angle and lunges around with the
swell. It is a challenge just to sit on the floor and not slide across
it undoing all the careful pinning you have just spent the last hour
doing.

However now in the last stages of this repair we are starting to feel
proud that it is looking functional and alive again. The moment of truth
will most likely be at the final stages of the race, boat on boat at the
finish line the first hoist of our re-made spinnaker. How proud we will
be if she holds up and takes us over the line to Australia. Until then
we will continue to work on her until she is in the best condition and
stronger than she was at the start of the race.

I depart the dragon wagon in Australia and I will walk off proud that I
have done my part in as many aspects of the boat as I can. I have learnt
more than just how to sail. I have learnt primarily about self
sufficiency, about how to repair things not just throw them away. I have
reminded myself how to use a needle and thread again, how to use a
sewing machine - just basic basic life skills that I forgot about since
leaving school. I have learnt how to cook for 18 people, how to live
with 18 people, how to helm with a spinnaker, how to helm in rough seas,
how to climb a mast (or maybe how not to), how to fix a spinnaker and
much much more. This is my last blog from the dragon wagon, its been a
journey I will never forget. My crew have been just great and I will
look forward to welcoming them all home in Hull next year. Lois x