Monday 18 Oct, re-launch 2021, HHN day 19: More mast work as we delay the mast-move by one day.
First thing in the morning, I am off to see Stephen at East Coast Marine Rigging to check what the plan is for moving the mast and boom next to Cloudy Bay, ready to install the spreaders, the new rigging and lift the rig back up onto the boat. I had arranged for it to be today, but I kind-of need one more day. Stephen calls Matt the yard manager and all is arranged for tomorrow. I feel reprieved!
I am also a bit concerned how I have re-run the halyards inside the mast. Stupidly, when I had re-run all the halyards, I had surmised that the foresail halyards exited the top of the mast on its front side, and had run them as such. But yesterday, as I was installing the top sheaves for these halyards, I realized the sheave wheel goes along way back into the mast and as such I should have planned the halyard to be in the middle of the mast, not at the front. The issue is that each set of spreaders has a bar that goes right through the mast, one side to the other. So the cutter and genoa halyards now take a rather tortuous route past these, something I was trying to avoid. As usual, a quick chat with Stephen puts me on the right path. No need to re-route the genoa halyard, but the cutter halyard will need a simple diversion. So it’s back to the mast to do just that.
Once that is done, I am relieved that I don’t have to re-run halyards, because that would mean the mast top and foot coming off. Just in case of that eventuality, I had not secured the mast foot on yet. So that is my next job: bolt and rivet it securely in place. Not to come off again … like EVER!
The rest of the day I remain busy on the mast, but not sure what I actually did other than a lot of polishing of both the stainless steel fittings and the anodized mast itself. Over the years, with the mast not having any polish or protection on it, it has become badly stained with aluminum oxides emanating from the fittings where corrosion was taking place. This oxidation is a devil to get off. I thought I had the technique, using an oven scouring pad (scotch-brite) along with Starbright aluminum polish. But it’s not perfect, and I worry the pads may be doing more damage to the anodized surface than good. Plus, it is damned hard work! But after all this monumental effort to get all the mast systems back to new condition, I will be rather miffed if I cannot get the mast itself all nice and shiny again.
By the end of the afternoon, I finally feel ready to move the mast tomorrow and thankful that we had this extra day. Tomorrow the rigging will start to go back on.