The squirrels ate our mainsail

[RobertSchuldenfrei]

Hi Everyone,

Here is one for the books.  It is about the sad story of squirrels shredding our mainsail.  This post was developed from my note to the sail maker.  The boat has been idle at our dock since we lost our rudder in the Intracoastal on May 10^th.  The new rudder came in last week (July 17, 2014) so the boat is on the hard at Playboy Marina.  We noticed a squirrel on the deck on Saturday, July 19^th, and found out that three of them had been nesting in the Mack Pack.  They probably hopped aboard from our dock, jumped up to the bimini, and entered the Mack Pack from the open end at the aft of the boom.  They destroyed the main and even chewed on hole in the Mack Pack.  In February of 2013 Mack Sails quoted us a new main with strong track.  We need a new quote for the mainsail with the following specifications:

• Mainsail for a Catalina 34 with conventional battens.  Fit the sail to the existing Mack Pack.  The sail should have the Catalina 34 device (logo) applied along with our hull number, 422.
• A "Strong Track" system to ease the raising of the sail with installation.

Further, make the following other adjustments:

• Patch the Mack Pack over the one hole which is quite near the mast.
• Fashion a closure system for the Mack Pack at the clew such that critters cannot get in.  We are quite willing to remove something when getting ready to raise sail.
• Cut the leach just a tad smaller so that it lifts the boom clear of the bimini when the sail is raised.  Right now the topping lift is tight and that causes wind to be "dumped" when sailing close hauled.

Esprit du Vent will be at Playboy until Saturday, August 2, 2014.

There is a small silver lining to this tale.  The main was old and needed replacement.  The original sliders had seen better days making raising sail difficult.  The sail was slightly to big for the bimini causing wind to be dumped when sailing close hauled.

With a boat it is always something.  Until the new sail comes in we will be doing some powering and sailing "jib alone."

Cheers,

Bob

[patrice]

Ouch !!!

This is not fun to discover.
But, if you could find a nice ending story for the squirrels     , you could sell the story to Disney, and get money to buy new sail.       

[Footloose]

I think Squirrel Stew would be an appropriate way to celebrate you new mainsail

[RobertSchuldenfrei]

Ouch !!!

This is not fun to discover.
But, if you could find a nice ending story for the squirrels     , you could sell the story to Disney, and get money to buy new sail.       

You are going to have to ask the squirrels' agent for a release.  We inadvertently transported them from Lighthouse Point, FL to Ft. Lauderdale.  When I uncovered their "home" the three of them abandoned ship.  You could see them scurrying around the boatyard trying to figure out where they were and what they were going to do.

[lazybone]

I think Squirrel Stew would be an appropriate way to celebrate you new mainsail

I know people eat them but I would sooner dine on rat.

[RobertSchuldenfrei]

Hi Everyone,

The saga concludes.  Here is Mack Sails installing the new "power plant."  Pat has the day off so tomorrow we sail!

Cheers,

Bob

[John Langford]

It can be more unpleasant if not as as expensive to fix. The local river otters and minks around our marina occasionally during the winter use the symmetrical Dutchman folds of my main sail as a storage unit for desiccated ducks and ripe bits of fish. Once, when raising the main for a Boxing Day sail, my crew had a dead rat fall out of the sail onto his head. He never volunteered again!