Building a new rudder

What now...???

In daylight the boat was a bit of a mess. Lines from our 'drogue' and the various experiments to control the 'oar' filled the cockpit burying the ‘oar’ itself, stowed on the deck. The folding transom platform was just hanging on by one hinge, the other having broken under stresses from being used as a pivot for the 'oar'.

However, tidying up could wait. Safely on the hook and now able to relax a little, a wave of relief and exhaustion washed over us all and most headed for the bunk but not before Roger had thrust a bowl of steaming pasta into everyone’s hands!

Seagoon, one of the yachts we’d seen the previous afternoon was still in the anchorage and her skipper, Hans, soon headed over to enquire about the reasons for our return. It was decided that we would be better sheltered from wind and swell by re-positioning further into the anchorage and some local fishermen passing in their speedy duly obliged for some cash and a beer each.

A glance in their boat showed what they had been up to before coming to help us – shark finning. They seemed to be making efforts to conceal their haul as if conscious of the general disapproval that most westerners have towards the practice though we weren’t in any position to grumble at that particular moment.

The tow was not without a little drama of its own as an errant line fouled the speedy’s outboard prop just as we were squeezing through some coral heads in the entrance to the new anchorage. Fortunately, we were able to kill the speed with a bit of reverse from Harlequin’s engine and we didn't drift too far off line before the fishermen had their motor running again.

Harlequin, Seagoon and er... nobody!

Re-anchored about 75m from Seagoon and 150m off the beach in flat crystal clear water we were able to tidy up the ship and turn our thoughts to the rudder problem.

We knew we could coarsely direct the boat with the makeshift drogue system at about 2kts tops. This was OK for calmer open water but would be too hard to make progress in any sea – it was 500 miles to Cairns and rough seas were still forecast.

Bwagoia on Misima Island was 46 miles in a straight line but the way was obstructed by many reef systems. Besides, there wasn't likely to be much in the way of technical help there.

The distance to Alotau was 126 miles and offered a clearer track plus we’d already visited the town and based on that believed there would be more assistance available. However, it was over 2 days of continuous motoring away. A small voice then pointed out that before all that our biggest problem might be simply navigating unscathed through the coral heads surrounding our anchorage.

Loaded up with food and supplies for the planned Coral Sea crossing and with an onboard watermaker, we weren’t going to starve in a hurry but we really needed to see if it was possible to repair the rudder to make any of the journeys feasible and safe. Reconstructing the blade in situ underwater would be too hard so our first challenge was to drop the rudder and recover it to the deck of the boat.

With a suitable system of ropes, this actually proved to be fairly straightforward. Once disconnected and hanging free below the boat, a block and tackle off the end of the boom craned the heavy stainless steel frame up and over the hand rail and we manhandled it to the foredeck. With light and energy levels reducing we left it at that for the day.

With a night's sleep under our belts, we woke early the next morning with a purpose. An awning to give shelter from the sun was raised over the foredeck and a plan was hatched as to how we might reconstruct a working rudder.

The boys hard at work

Hans from Seagoon had already advised us that he had about 1 sq m of fibreglass cloth and some resin that we could have (read buy). The Skipper’s Bunk, a temporary platform that we’d built in the saloon for the cruise, and Pat's homemade ‘windscoops’ could provide some small ply sheets and a party headed to shore to see what else could be found on the island to assist. Marine adhesive and screws would hold it all together and the fibreglass cloth would tape and seal the joints.

The shore party came back with some usefully long lengths of partly shaped timber that Chris and Colin spent hours with our only handsaw painstakingly trimming them down to fit. Threaded into the frame, these ‘stringers’ provided the base onto which we could attach the ply panels. Glued, screwed and rounded off a bit with a heavy grit sanding disc (bought from Hans with the cloth and resin for AU$200 – I think he knew he was the only hardware store for 50 miles!) it was starting to look like it might do the job, provided we could actually re-attach it to the boat whilst afloat.

Tomorrow, we would apply what fibreglass we had and hopefully go for the refit. In the meantime, buoyed by our progress, it was decided that we should have a bit of a party and entertain the four crew of Seagoon, Harlequin style! Noise complaints from the neighbours would not be a problem.

Apart from some very sore heads in the morning, Roger and I managed to ‘glass the rudder successfully and by mid-afternoon it was ready to be rehung.

"Just don't let it go!"

Seagoon departed the anchorage for points east a little earlier in the day so we were now alone once more - at least they wouldn't have to hear our curses if something went wrong with the next stage. All our effort would be for nothing if we couldn't get the rudder reinstalled or we accidentally dropped it to the bottom of the lagoon in trying so we held a team meeting to discuss ideas on how to handle it. In the end we decided that reversing the system we’d used to remove the frame was the best approach. We also drilled a small hole through the new blade into which a line was fitted to serve as both a lifting point and a tether in case something went wrong with our untried process.

The new rudder in place

With Pat and Colin guiding things in the water and me overseeing the moves on deck, there was a focused silence as we dangled our ticket out of dodge over the side of the boat. With either luck or good planning on our side, when released to the cradle of supporting lines, the rudder swung nicely beneath the hull in an upright position with the top of the shaft only inches from the lower bearing hole. A few carefully coordinated cranks from the winch team on deck and the shaft rose slowly but surely into position.

A little while later the top of the shaft made it through the top bearing and there was a small cheer of relief as Jeremy wound on the big nut that holds it all in position. We’d done it! By the time we had reconnected the steering quadrant and made some adjustments, the light was too poor to attempt navigating out of the anchorage so we would spend another night and leave in the morning.

But where to next?

Steve.