Running Rigging

Went up today and measured Robinetta's running rigging. Its over 10 years old and showing chafe in a lot of places.

There is some 8 mm buff polyester (must be polyester, it sinks):

• topsail downhaul
• from a ring on the top of the throat of the gaff to a cleat on the mast. 20'
• shroud tensioners
• four off 8' (actually 7' + manrope knot)
• Total
• 52' = 16m

There is some 10 mm  buff polypropelene (it floats! - Hempex or Hardy Hemp):

• topsail halyard
• runs through sheave in mast. 730 cm from sheave to bottom of cleat so 14.6 m
• back stays
• 16'6" plus loop round blocks and eye splice each say 40' or 12m
• topping lifts
• hypotenuse of luff and foot of mainsail + tensioning length plus loops round boom + splicing length
• hard to measure without taking the sail cover off, but in good condition – not necessary to replace
• Total
• 14.6 m + 12 m = 26.6 m
• We could buy 30m of this or just do the back stays and buy 15 m. The topsail halyard might be better in Dynema so we can use it to go up the mast safely.

There is a lot of buff polypropylene, probably 12mm but could be 14 mm:

• Jib halyard
• purchase on deck with knot to block dependent from wire rope and back to cleat on mast. 2x23'=46', say 50'
• peak halyard
• eye splice on horse to block on mast 21'. up, down and back to cockpit 52'
• throat halyard
• eye splice on horse to block on mast 20'. up, down and back to cockpit 50'
• main sheet
• 17 m
• Total
• 64 m, buy 70m

There is some 12 mm Braid (not measured):

• jib sheet

And some 6 mm braid (not measured):

• roller furling line
• staysail sheet
• topsail sheet

Progress

Its been really hard finding the time and motivation to go to the boat this autumn. We have been a couple of times and achieved:

• drilling out and filling the stem post
• removing the rotten rear starboard bulwark. Found some rot in the top hull plank too
• drilling out the old depth transducer
• putting on a coat of underwater primer

Today, Alison went up there and met with Paul Drake, recommended by Keith and Julie. He's going to use some Siberian larch to repair the popped and rotten planks that have been letting all the water in. Hopefully that will be done by Christmas.

Biting the bullet

We finally decided what to do about the rotten plank and sprung plank in the bows. We need to replace the rotten one, and that's a job for a professional. Julia recommended Paul Drake who did some work for them on Maryll, and he came to have a look at her today.

We are going to get the rotten plank replaced with Siberian Larch which is more resinous than ordinary larch which is the other simple alternative. Pitch pine is almost impossible to source, and Paul has a suitable piece of Siberian Larch in his yard.

Paul will also rake out the caulking and check the fixing of the other planks around the sprung one so we can be sure that this problem will not happen next year too.

The other job we've asked him to tackle is refastening the rubbing strake in the starboard stern quarter, which requires stabilising the wood beneath it. That's the most problematic repair, because we have no real way of knowing how much work needs doing. Hopefully not too much!

So long as the weather holds out he hopes to start work the second week of December. It would be great to get it done before Christmas!