I mentioned before that I’ve had problems with my hands from pulling the sail up. Part of the work to sort this out was changing the 2-part block system to a 4-part block system. That all went fine and the sail is now easy to raise. However, I goofed and bought a new rope that is slightly too large for the existing fittings. On the plus side the larger rope is easier to grip – good for my hands. On the down side I had to make a new fairlead for where the ropes go through the deck next to the mast.

The fairlead is stepped so it fits into a slot on the deck. I am nervous about having such a big hole right next to the (unstayed) mast but I think this is ok:

• The fairlead is a very tight fit in the slot so compressive loads should be transmitted ok;
• The main mast loads are fed forwards into the wooden beam that runs in front of the mast.

Anyway, we’ll see how it goes. I will be keeping an eye on this area of deck in case it needs reinforcing.