Tranquility Island

While I have only been out twice, at this time, in both cases I had to lower the sail to motor back in. I can stuff the sail in front of the mast in the bow while leaving the luff tied to the mast but the sprits are 12 and 13 feet long and with the mainsheet rigging I wind up trying to work in a tangle of ropes and pulleys with two poles in the way. While trying to manouver my 230 pounds in this mess I need to lean over the transom, raise the rudder, lower the motor, put gas in the tank, start the motor and find a place to sit while the 4 horse Yamaha does the honors. I can do it but it takes time and effort and is cumersome to say the least, not to mention uncomfortable while steering.

The pages below show my efforts at a solution. I don't mean to brag but it looks pretty good to me. We'll see how it works in practice when I finsh the new improved rudder...
But then, that's a story for another page.

I think I know how former V.P. Dan Quayle must have felt, when campaining at an NAACP meeting he flubbed the line: "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." by saying: "It's a terrible thing to lose your mind."