Finally, we have finished the rigging.
Sans Peur
Grete & Fred Vithen
Thu 2 Jul 2015 15:08
Fred and I proudly posing after successfully installing the in-mast furling main sail, and stay-furling cutter sail. Our celebrations were a little premature, because after we fitted the jib, the third and last sail, we realised we had furled the cutter sail in the wrong rotation. These sails have a UV protection strip on one side.....you can see it here, the darker section down the rear edge....but of course, it's only effective if it finishes up on the outside when furled. We reversed the winding of the furling rope in the drum and all is well.
I had to hoist Fred aloft to rearrange some ill-placed stays, and more importantly, to check the alignment of the spreaders. Fred's concerns proved correct. They were sitting incorrectly and would have sustained serious damage if we had started sailing. From his precarious position, Fred attacked them with relish and his favourite tool, a rubber mallet, and soon put them right
Job done! I must admit, there were times, when we were standing, looking at a bewildering array of shackles, pulleys, ropes and some totally foreign objects (to me at least, not being much of a sailor) I felt we were never going to get it right. Fred and Grete have had a reasonable amount of sailing experience, but never on this boat, and never on a yacht with this (Dutch) style cutter rig. When they bought it in March, 2014, there were no sails fitted, and no opportunity to take it sailing. They had really done their homework and had enough confidence in the designer and builder, to buy it regardless. But this did make the job more challenging.
You'll notice Grete's hands are bandaged. She had a nasty fall a week ago and badly sprained both thumbs. I had a fall 3 weeks ago and have seriously damaged my left shoulder. Fred's got a crook knee, so we are certainly a somewhat disabled, motley crew. We have it on good medical advice though, that a strong gin and tonic, taken at 5pm (or sometimes) earlier, everyday, will speed our recovery!
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