Mending the Jib

Posted on February 11, 2016

We’ve been waiting for a day with little or no wind so that we could unfurl the jib and lower it for mending. In two or three places the stitching on the blue fabric has separated from the white sail, and I needed to tack it back on. Danny and I lowered it so that it lay across the trampoline, and I got to work.

The needle I use is very thick because the thinner ones I’ve tried in the past break so easily. The thread is also thick and is specially made for sail repair. In order to push and pull the needle through the thick fabric and Dacron sail, I have to use pliers and lots of muscle. One of the stretches I mended was about 8ft long.

After 7 hours of tugging, my hands and fingers are bruised, bleeding and full or holes, but the job is done and the jib is in much better shape. One of these days I need to save up for an industrial sewing machine!

Yesterday a friend of ours pulled his fishing boat along side Tanda Malaika, and dropped off some crab claws. What a great surprise! These are from Stone crabs which he caught in the crab pots he has set up.

He told me that he brings the crab on his boat, cuts off their claws, and sets them free once again. The claws grow back, which makes them a renewable resource. We cooked them in boiling water for 7 minutes and then put them on ice so that the meat will pull away easily from the claw. We will enjoy them tonight with our dinner.

The tide was really low this afternoon, exposing grasses and mud flats in areas I hadn’t seen before. Many Egrets were slowly stalking, keeping an eye out for a special treat, and beautiful wispy clouds filled the sky, looking much like an artists brush strokes.