Iceberg in Labrador Sea - from a satellite

This photo by NASA astronaut Neil Garan is of an iceberg in the Labrador Sea - where Richard and Issuma have been wandering.

Issuma: rigging failure on the Labrador Sea

A sheared off cotter pin led a headsail to collapse, which meant return to Cartwright, scene of last year's mast repairs.  Here's the first part of the latest installment of the Issuma story. - GWC

We left Black Tickle on a quiet morning, motoring out of the still harbor and away from the coast until the wind picked up enough to sail. The piece of ice in the photo was fairly close to the shore.
I'd been paying a lot of attention to the weather forecasts. Computer programs made their guesses, the National Weather Service made their guesses, Environment Canada made their guesses, and I looked at all these and made my guesses. We were all wrong :). 
What was expected to be a brisk reaching wind turned into a mere slog dead to windward in F4-6 seas for a little over a day. We dodged several growlers and bergy bits in the intermittent rain and fog. The forecasts had now changed to be another day of headwinds to 30 knots. We were sailing against the south-flowing Labrador current, and progress was slow when, during a gybe, the inner jib (trinquette) refused to come across. 
A quick check up forward showed the stay was no longer attached to the mast. We got the other sails down so we would be heading downwind, and then brought the stay and sail (it was a roller-reefed sail) onto the deck. It seemed that the cotter pin that holds the clevis pin that holds the stay (wire) in place had sheared off. We got the sail off and cleaned up the deck, then changed course and sailed and motorsailed towards Cartwright, which was only about 130 miles back from where we were. 
As we got closer to the coast, the wind became quite favorable, the sun came out and we had a pleasant sail to within a few hundred metres of the dock. There we went to start the engine to motor onto the dock, and that began the John Deere Saga, which is the topic of another post. 

Issuma: The Repair

Yann's joining the crew was obviously a good idea, but HERE is the evidence: his repair of the damaged mast. Cut off 5 cm, shorten stays, good to go. 


Now Richard and crew have left Cartwright and are back to exploring the Labrador Sea and coast.  Below are a Cartwright ferry and a "bergy bit" - a chunk of glacier.

Issuma: crack...disaster averted

On a  beautiful day on the Labrador Sea a loud crack was heard: one wire stay snapped, a second - Dynex synthetic rope rigging - stretched.  The mainmast popped out of its step on the deck.  Jury rigging brought them to safe harbor 60 miles away. Damage above, details HERE in the July 26, 2010 post.

Issuma: some jobs you have to do yourself

That's what my father said about being the skipper on a sub-chaser.  Richard drew the same conclusion when a line snagged under the boat.  Here he dives with wetsuit and regulator in the Labrador Sea - source of the Labrador currents - the cold, rich waters that sustain us.