The day started off like any other Polar Bear Series day; cold and wet. We set about lightening the boat and rigging it for the race. As we moved out to into False Creek we noticed the engine was making more noise than usual. It was then we heard the engine make a different noise and start running much smoother as though they it had been slipped into neutral. I quickly realized the prop shaft had snapped.
We checked first to see if we were taking on water; which we were not. We quickly lost all head way so with the wind in our favour flowing into the creek from the West we bore away. Dave and I got up the main sail to the first reef and left it at that. Mike got the bumpers out on our port side and got ready to fend off with the boat hook in hand. This was going to be hairy.
The plan of attack was to come in under main alone drop it and loosen the sheet as we turned into the slip. There was no really opportunity to spill wind coming in on a run hence the choice to go with a heavily reefed main. We would be coming in fast so Dave was going to jump off and hold the boat on. We have a drift off slip so that was a added challenge.
We came in easily under sail and at the last time turned into the slip dropped the main and loosened the sheets. We were hot and the boat was too much to slow down and hit the dock. Luckily I had fenders on the dock so it was a gentle bump and no damage. When I inspected the prop shaft from the dock and saw that it had try to fly off the boat but the zincs I had put on right behind the cutlass bearing for that exact reason had stopped it. We were lucky with the wind and that we were not leaking water into the boat now we have to begin the painful and expense of process of repairing the boat before we can sail her again. For the next several months the boat is out of commission.
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