"I showed mine..."
So what is DM getting for Christmas?
You guys are so predictable its funny.
I broke the vang bale and had to rig a strap, fortunately plenty of spare webbing on board. Then I broke the lower vang block and had to replace that with the block from my Cunningham. Ugly, but it worked. A supply of strong webbing and various spare blocks/shackles is a really good idea.
Headboard slug whipping parted. Had to stand on tippytoes in six foot seaway to resew the webbing. Took three hours. I should have had some kind of mast step for better positioning. Removing the main to do a repair seemed like a huge huge hassle so I did not go there. Make sure you have good stuff in the marlinspike/sail repair kit and know how to use it.
Agree with electric drill. Used mine to drill a hole in aft end of a batten for a lanyard attachment after the batten came loose and was almost lost. I also brought a batt powered grinder (cutter) and a multitool for emergencies but never used them.
Totally agree with extra clothes!! I was wet full time for the last 7 days. Sailed nude for the last day just to dry out. The forward cabin smelled like the worst kind of locker room by the time some of that stuff had steeped in the tropics for a few days. I came into Hanalei shirtless not because I felt like Tarzan but because I did not have a frikking dry shirt left in the boat. Hell, I would have worn a wet shirt if they didn't smell like they had been stored in a locker room used by the walking dead.
I brought way too much food and got too clever with what I brought which was a lot of stuff I normally don't eat. Next time i am sticking to tried and true foods which I normally consume. I tended to snack a lot and ate a solid dinner most every day. I have some Amazon bought MREs on board for emergency use. You really don't need that much food. I was surprised that a hot cup of instant coffee slowly grew into the high point of my day.
Bring a mask, fins and a helmet of some sort. If you have to go for a swim to inspect the rudder or whatever, you want to see if you can avoid dying. Also... ahem...in all the excitement, don't forget to remove your PFD when you jump in. Or, if intend to test your PFD at this point, as was my plan, pack a spare charge for your vest and know how to replace the charge. It is also a good idea to ensure you have a reliable way to get back into the boat. I have a PLB attached to my PFD but it would be truly embarrassing to call out the CG and ask them if they could possibly give you a little boost up into the cockpit.
Make sure you have a safe place to sleep. After experiencing an unscheduled flight through the main cabin and waking up from a deep sleep when my knees, elbows and head simultaneously hit the cabin sole. I became one with the sole for the rest if the trip. A good lee cloth rig would have been a much better solution as both Rick Elkins and Cliff Shaw tried to convey to me on multiple occasions prior to the race.
With regard to sails. I brought the required storm tri and jib although I may have been able to sell my deep third reef as a storm tri I went ahead and bought both storm sails so I had something, albeit very small, if I lost the main. I did loose the jib during the last part of the race and used the the storm jib for about 24 hours up to the finish. Although I did not loose the main I got a LOT of wear and tear. Sails and running rigging really get ridden hard. Post race I had to take both my sails into Marchal's and have significant repairs done.
And, finally, if you bring water in 3 gallon jugs it is a great idea to bring some way to get the water from the jug into a usable container such as a water bottle or a pot. I can tell you with certainty that is is impossible to time the roll such that you can pour water out of jug into a water bottle without loosing three quarters of the water. Furthermore you will become obsessed with getting that damn jug water into that damn drinking bottle and very quickly become unhinged from reality.
As long as you don't kill yourself it is probably the best way on the planet to accumulate, in record time, an unforgettable series adventures, misadventures and downright keystone cops hilarity.
