Bruce the rigger at the top of the mast re-attaching the forestay. I can tell you that I'm sure weight increases with height !! It is really hard work hauling a fairly large fella up the mast on a winch....the first time I did it on a halyard winch and nearly had a heart attack !! Today I used one of the big genoa sheet winches but it was still hard work.
Anyway its all up and connected at both ends, all the bearings are well greased and it appears to spin freely.
Because we had to cut about 2 inches from the bottom of the stay, there's a new bronze toggle at the bottom and so the strop that goes on the top of the sail to prevent the top swivel wrapping the halyard around the stay, needs to be shortened.
The strop I had, Bruce informs me, is made from 1x19 wire which is not meant to be bent around things, so he's making me a new one from 2x17 wire which is more flexible.
That should arrive tomorrow morning and then I can hoist the genoa up the foil and wind it on to the headstay and we should be all set to go sailing !!
Anyway its all up and connected at both ends, all the bearings are well greased and it appears to spin freely.
Because we had to cut about 2 inches from the bottom of the stay, there's a new bronze toggle at the bottom and so the strop that goes on the top of the sail to prevent the top swivel wrapping the halyard around the stay, needs to be shortened.
The strop I had, Bruce informs me, is made from 1x19 wire which is not meant to be bent around things, so he's making me a new one from 2x17 wire which is more flexible.
That should arrive tomorrow morning and then I can hoist the genoa up the foil and wind it on to the headstay and we should be all set to go sailing !!
After all the rain yesterday it was clear that we had a leak - the bedding in the aft bunk was damp at the foot - this happened before when I was in Tonga in 2010 and then it was the starboard genoa sheet winch mount was leaking.
So off with the winch, usual stuff : fighting with nuts that won't turn, scraping off all the old sealant, cleaning everything, new sealant around the studs, base back on, grease all the winch internals and reassemble - let's hope it works, I can't see why it wouldn't, and if it doesn't the leak must be coming from somewhere else - only other possibilty is the screws that hold down the genoa track...that would be painful, lets hope that this is it !
So off with the winch, usual stuff : fighting with nuts that won't turn, scraping off all the old sealant, cleaning everything, new sealant around the studs, base back on, grease all the winch internals and reassemble - let's hope it works, I can't see why it wouldn't, and if it doesn't the leak must be coming from somewhere else - only other possibilty is the screws that hold down the genoa track...that would be painful, lets hope that this is it !
About 4 o'clock, Ted and Peter came around with a couple of Fiji Bitter longnecks, to prise out of me information about sailing in the Yasawa Islands. I'd met them in the bar at the Last Resort (it's actually the First Landing Resort - but the Last Resort for some of us !). We looked at charts and Ted made notes about anchorages, reefs and sights to see .. all good...
So that's it for today ... I'll go to the market and the butcher tomorrow and then we should be set to go with Hannah and kyle on Monday.
Cheers !!
So that's it for today ... I'll go to the market and the butcher tomorrow and then we should be set to go with Hannah and kyle on Monday.
Cheers !!