![Walkabout [1428x1071 - 263KB]](https://pic8.co/sh/OnDRKP.jpg){kind=link}
Nice sloop. Yours? Actually a little ragged. Well used? How old? My time/dream has passed for that (almost). COULD buy a boat with EVERYTHING I have left now.
Mine? Hardly. I'm hers.
The missus is frequently jealous. I am aboard her now.
I offered her former owner exactly half what he wanted. I got her. I refinished EVERYTHING. She was picture perfect.
Years on now, she is almost back where she started. Brightwork flaking off, but I just pressure washed that,. But holy fuck, it never ends. I sand and varnish more than I actually sail. But I owe her that much. She is amazing.
Our last sail back from the island, we encountered the tail end of a pretty major storm. My wife was crew, and she got super seasick. I wanted a reef in the main, because there was major chop, and gusts well over 35kts. Well she was useless as crew, so reefs be damned. I sailed her back under full sail in the tail end of a storm with those gusts, with the starboard rail in the water much of the time. She's the most seaworthy boat I've met, and she deserves my soul.
Pretty sure she does this to all her owners.
deploy a drogue or chute? There's always the old "heave to" and roll with it (bare poles). Stuck it out I see. I'm reading a book about (now) about some (white) south africans migrating to the US aboard a 25 ft sloop. He claims he invented a rig (while on board) to fly the jibs (one storm?) "wing and wing" to cut down on the roll during wind coming from aft. Somewhere in the southern hemisphere (atlantic) at present headed west. I've always heard of a doldrum area in the southern atlantic nearish the equator..
What island? Appears to be reasonable equipped from what I can see, but don't detect self steer rig aft (eg aries) or electrical power generation gear (solar, wind). No blue water excursions? 40 ft?
I used foldable solar on this voyage. Stowed after being at anchor and getting underway.
Despite all my self doxxing, lol at me saying which island...
I only have a drogue aboard, but a chute would make more sense for more serious cruising, like around the horn [which had been my plan when I got her, but so much for that for the time bieing...]
She can heave to like a charm [jib backwinded, main full to weather], but "full keeled" boats always do. But Walkabout is designed originally to be a Thames racer, and has a rather agressively cutawayforefoot to the keel, by late 50s standards, at least.
She's no fin keeler by any stretch of the imagination, but for a "full keel", she's super maneuverable. Aside from in reverse, at which point she's a nightmare.
Shite, son, I think we have some sailing adventures to discuss here! You make me re-remenber specific terms!
I've been too much a goddamned lubber since buying this millstone I call a house!
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