Demasting of the Heart

[Stillraining]

Have you ever had that feeling a dark cloud was following just you and a select few others around....occasionally opening her skirt and wetting on your parade.



Despite your best efforts to be prepaired with a good umbrella in hand or a bit of tin roof to duck under you still find yourself the loan soaked sap standing with hands in pockets, pipe in mouth upside down to keep it from filling to the brim...brimmed hat bent full turn down along sides of your head.... All the while scanning the horizon looking for a glimpse of some sympathetic pair of eyes gazing from some distance off.... Someone basking in the sunlight all the while witness to your plight and you hope their good fortune is passing your way some time very soon.



Yep I think we have all been there a few times to be sure..a
"Demasting of the Heart" I will call it for lack of a more appropriate or descriptive term.



Life has a way of turning your failures into successes and your successes into disappointment's to be sure..we can only bank on the former to mantain some semblance of sanity and good cheer.



My saga continues with my "land yacht"..and I am now well on past a full 2 1/2 years of ownership with only three sails under my belt on her decks...2 of thoes in my home waters....Im thinking on renaming her "Rain Cloud" ..



She is beautiful and she is a blast to sail but I am loosing my excitement in her all the same...............I expect this feeling will all pass some day when "Rain Clouds" lift and sun and winds return to my face ... taunt canvas pulling the water line closer and closer to the toe rail, tight lines reverberating and singing their work shanty song of strain and chanting squawks of defiant determination to hold fast their grip on winch and cleat.



Yes a "Demasting of the Heart" is a sorry state to find oneself in but there I now sit.... De-masted in more then just imaginary terms...And I dont even have a gallant story of near death survival at sea nor heroic actions of bravery and MacGyver invention and salvation to share at the bar...No my friends.... tonight I drink alone under my bit of Rain Cloud.

[AllThumbs]

Dude? what happened? I can't figure out the last pic. Did the mast come down, and if so, how?

Eric

[bloodhunter]

Sounds like you need to share whatever happened. You've got at least a couple of pairs of sympathetic ears right here and if I know anything about the Sailnet folk there are a lot more out there

[scottyt]

it looks like a keel steped mast and the deck failed allowing the mast to jump the keel step and lean over damaging the deck worse

[smackdaddy]

Ah jeez...

Still - I know you've taken some hard knocks of late - but I'm beggin' ya, hang in there dude. Just keep remembering those few times you had her out, and how excited you were. That will make up for all the hell you're going through now.

It kills me to see you getting smacked down. Keep the faith. God bless you.

[SEMIJim]

SR, I know the feeling. Not with Abracadabra, thank God, but with our new-to-us little stink-boat. It's a long, sad tale. Part poor judgment on her captain's part and part just bad dumb luck. So, for what it's worth, you're not alone. I, too, remain optimistic that some day (soon, I hope - please let it be soon) the clouds will part and all will be well with her.

Good luck and fair winds.

Jim

[Stillraining]

The yard was installing my new mast step I designed and had built pictured below to comply with category one off shore racing rules required for our local Swiftsure Race.

Their crane operator droped the mast and it laid over at about a 40 degree angel in the partners...One "Key-Stone-Cop" derailment after another...

[camaraderie]

Oooof...Sorry Still... good luck for a swift recovery.

[AllThumbs]

I hope the yard is going to fix it. I also hope the mast wasn't damaged.

[peptobysmol]

makes me wanna

then