Chapter 18

Sailing five and a quarter thousand miles in more or less one go is hard on a boat. Contrary seas, left over from tropical disturbances, pound a hull, stretch lines, rigging exerts unbelievable pressure on chainplates and attachments, mast head connections wear, sails stretch and bag, sewing thread rubs and frays, the steering and rudder is banging in its attachments and seagull shit is corrosive. Zincs dissolve, barnacles want in, grass-skirts grow and the damn thing develops leaks in places that weren’t meant to leak.

There are collisions with things unseen and seen ... whales, dolphins, lost containers, sudden visits by seals and walruses. Two walrus at the same time could sink a boat. And who knows what else.

The what else includes boats and crew gone missing for no known reason at all.

Gone.

Never seen or heard again.

And don’t forget excessive UV deterioration.

Sailbait suffered from most of the causes. While she was on the hard we ground one layer of glas below the waterline off. Then she was vacuum bagged and dried out and a new layer of West System epoxy and 600 wt glass replaced the old. Barrier coat and copper bottom paint completed the hull below the waterline. Twenty guys working towards a common end can perform miracles.

Interior fancy wood was replaced with 3mm nida-core and glas. The old wood was mostly fine and we gifted it to the base.

Nida-core and marine plywood replaced the waterlogged balsa core deck and Kiwi grip replaced the teak. The aluminum toe-rail was replaced with stainless. The anchor windlass was replaced with one right and one left Lewmar horizontal windlass. The chain locker was expanded and divided for two stainless chains. The single anchor was switched to two 65 pound Rocna plows. The new anchor pulpit also housed the forestay and furler. Shop made, stainless steel and all welded construction I am sure the footprint is stronger than the single pulpit. A stern anchor, windlass and chain locker was added. No more sideways rolling ... well ... not as much.

All deck hardware holes were drilled out oversize, epoxied and re-drilled ... IF they leak the holes won’t weaken the plywood. The cabin sole was still mahogany and holly.

A little exploration by Zo discovered the fuel, holding and water tanks were considerably smaller than the space provided. Whee ... new tanks ... our range at six knots has been increased to 2500 miles with internal bunkerage ... deck jerrycans have added almost 500 miles.

By replacing the water soaked deck core with nida-core the displacement stayed about the same, 29,000 lbs but now the weight was below decks. Trials found her faster but more stable. Win Win.

Now I had to find storage. I preferred on the hard. I wasn’t going sailing for at least three years. Unless I found a marina near a martial arts school, then I’d see about live aboard.

Good Lord, Japan is a mess. I’m surprised they don’t have monthly sex stamps. Regulations and regulations for the regulations, unwritten rules, if I hear “Everyone Knows,” one more time ... I am sure I have made a mistake.

We sailed south and made an end-around of Kyushu to US Fleet Activites, Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture. Kyushu is the last of the big Japanese islands.

We had found no martial arts schools on the east coast of the islands that would accept us as students. It had nothing to do with being Americans or Australians ... we had no parents who would be responsible for us.

As we approached Kyushu we were intercepted by the Coast Guard and questioned extensively. Finally satisfied, the Japanese Self-Defense Force Officer congratulated us on our Japanese and suggested we apply for assistance from the Fleet Activities base in Sasebo.