Kedgication, Autopilot, Shear Pins

Went out on Monday and managed to REALLY run myself aground again. The North end of the channel on Lake Macatawa is really poorly marked, and poor Allez! draws quite a bit of water for a 25 foot boat. So, I got to try out my kedging skills. Throw anchor as far out as you can, winch the boat along, pull up the anchor and repeat. About 45 minutes later, I was off the shoal and back into the channel. I've noticed singlehanding is very similar to flying in a single pilot environment, like at work. Always too much to do, and not enough time to do it. I've mastered the art of flying by myself, but singlehanding a relatively complicated sailboat is proving to be a bit of a challenge. After my kedging, it took me at least 30 minutes to get the boat to a modicum of order - untangling lines, and storing the anchor are quite hard while underway when the boat doesn't steer itself. So, I'm planning on buying a cheap autopilot to help with the steering duties. They're not cheap, but I think it'll be worth it in the reduction of panic.

On my way back into the marina, I accidentally bonked my rudder into the propeller of Linda's motor, breaking the shear pin. I'll always remember Linda doing the same thing with the same motor on Truant waaaaay back when, so irony rules the day. The shear pin, for those who don't know, is a little piece of soft metal that is made to break when the propeller stops suddenly. This prevents damage to the engine internals. So today, I bought a new shear pin, along with a new water pump for the outboard, just to be safe. The little 4 horse seems to run better every time it starts, but alas, Allez! will need a bigger motor with a longer driveshaft soon.