I had a very enlightening conversation with Jim from Port Rigging this evening over a nice frosty beverage (silly, since the temperature has been in the single digits and teens all week!). If you need a rigger in Portland, Jim is your guy. We talked about the standing rigging on the sailboat, which is the wire that holds the mast up. When I mentioned that my back stay (wire running from the top of the mast to the stern, or back of the boat) had ceramic pieces in it to isolate it as an antenna, he immediately told me I have to replace it because it is a safety risk. Good to know, since I do not want my ignorance to be the cause of someone else being injured. We also discussed the prospect of upgrading the back stay to an adjustable one made of super strong synthetic fibers and a 6 to 1 block and tackle system. He also mentioned that it is a great idea to make sure that all of the connection points between the rig and the hull are up to par, as it is foolish to buy new rigging if their attachment points are going to rip out when there is a decent blow on. I have to extend a huge thank you to Jim for taking time to talk to me and offer to take a look at my rigging once I do a preliminary look into it. His expertise is infinitely helpful to me and my project, and "thank you" does not even begin to cover my gratitude for his assistance.
In other news, I was unable to work on the boat last weekend. I injured my back at work, so had to take the weekend off and rest so that I could get back to work for this week. I am hoping to get the rigging off and assessed this weekend, and I might also get around to making some progress on hatches this weekend too! In any case, stay tuned for more updates!
PS- Sorry, no pictures. I know you all love pictures! More this weekend, I promise!
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