Getting a Clue for the Blown-Out Clew

A well-thought out DIY repair on a busted clew lasted from Cuba to Nova Scotia. These cruisers used only what was available onboard, since there were no materials available on land: tubing meant for the water maker, leftover bolts from a washing machine install, 5200 adhesive and plywood (on-hand for hull holes).

By
Brett Campbell
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Using only what they had available onboard, the cruisers rebuilt a broken clue on their genoa which lasted for thousands of miles of sailing.
Using only what they had available onboard, the cruisers rebuilt a broken clue on their genoa which lasted for thousands of miles of sailing.

How do you manage major sail repairs in remote locations? By using whatever you have onboard to get you home—or beyond.

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Getting a Clue for the Blown-Out Clew
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Brett Campbell
Brett Campbell
Brett Campbell has been sailing since joining the sea scouts in Sydney over 55 years ago. He joined the Navy at 17, and after ten years resigned and moved into industry. During this time he sailed in many offshore races, including four Sydney to Hobarts, and cruised NSW waters in his Beneteau 39. He retired at 52 and bought a Beneteau Oceanis 43. After four years, he and his wife Amanda Gilbert escaped the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal and Red Sea, spending three years off east Africa, then sailing around Cape Agulhas and across the South Atlantic to Grenada. They then cruised the southern and central American shores of the Caribbean, then Cuba, Bermuda, and Halifax in Nova Scotia. After wintering in Deltaville on the Chesapeake Bay, they sailed through Long Island Sound and are now heading to Newfoundland and the islands in the Gulf of St Lawrence. After seven years, they believe their very slow exploration of the world is about a third of the way through.

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