Australian father-son duo delays trip back home
by By Matt Sheley | The Newport Daily News on 23 Feb 2015
Reg, left, and Jason McGlashan load food aboard Sedona on Saturday at Conanicut Marina in Jamestown. The father and son plan to sail the boat home to Australia - The Newport Daily News Dave Hansen
Lousy weather and a wonky autopilot kept the 43-foot sailboat Sedona docked Monday at the Conanicut Marina in downtown Jamestown. Australians Reg and Jason McGlashan rode out the snow in the boat’s cabin, waiting for a marine electrician to show up and fix its electrical system. Once that and the weather clear up — in the next day or two, say the father and son — they will take Sedona for a final sail on Narragansett Bay before setting a course for Down Under and their hometown of Port Macquarie, Australia.
The McGlashans spent Sunday night aboard the boat, bouncing around in the shifting winds, which seemed to change direction every few minutes, they said.
'It’s not the best day to be outside, working,' 66-year-old Reg McGlashan said, getting a chuckle from his son. 'We don’t see weather like this back home, ever. The coldest temperatures we’ll see are 4 or 6 degrees Celsius (39.2 to 42.8 degrees Fahrenheit).'
Jason recently bought the sailboat on the online auction site eBay, and since then the McGlashans have been working to outfit and prepare it for their upcoming 8,600-nautical-mile voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, around the tip of South Africa and through the Indian Ocean to the eastern coast of Australia.
Before they can cast off the autopilot needs to be repaired, the wind generator needs to be erected on the deck and the cabin needs to be straightened out, the McGlashans said.
Len Hubbard of Jamestown had Sedona built in 1995 and raced competitively all over the East Coast. The boat’s original gel exterior never properly held paint, he said, so once home, Jason McGlashan plans to give the boat a good paint job.
He plans to retrofit it so he can race solo, with the goal of breaking the record for sailing around the continent of Australia in the shortest time, he said.
For now, the 37-year-old skipper and his first mate are dockside, enduring the winter weather that’s been socking the Ocean State for several weeks.
'I’ve been here through every storm this winter and I’ve had about enough,' Jason McGlashan said. 'We never get snow at home, and it seems like I’ve seen it just about every day here.'
His father said he’s disappointed he won’t be home in time to celebrate his 44th wedding anniversary with his wife, Lee, who’s keeping busy in Australia updating social media about her family’s adventures.
'I know I’m looking forward to the warmer stuff,' said Reg McGlashan as snow flurries fell throughout the day. 'It’s kind of hard to get out and do anything when it’s like this out.'
If you want to link to this article then please use this URL: www.sail-world.com/131875