Remember how I said our list of to do's was getting shorter, well. . . . our little boat is 35 years old. For any type of equipment or mechanics of any sort that's quite a long time but especially when you take into consideration the salt water environment and the corrosive effect it has on everything. Replacing the rigging has been something on our "to do" list for quite some time but it became apparent during our last British Virgin Islands trip that it was time to move that up the list. We had a "small" mishap when our jib sheet lead broke and was hurled into the middle of the Sir Francis Drake Channel during our sail in the BVI. Ya, the sound of metal breaking was a bit spooky. So Terry started taking a closer look at all the rigging. That's when he noticed this.
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| Cracked turnbuckle |
Let's just say anytime there is a crack in a metal
anything on a boat it's not a good thing. When he took these to the local rigger in St. Thomas he said that they were original to our boat. The company has been out of business for over 20 years. We figured it was time to start replacing the standing rigging, which is the wire cables that support the mast as well as all the connections. It's not a cheap overhaul but necessary and something we can do a little at a time.
So basically we've resigned ourselves to the fact that our "to do" list stays the same length no matter what. We complete one project and then just add another. Ah, the life of a boat owner.
At least if you couldn't ask for a more beautiful repair location.
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| Congo and Lovango Cay. St. John and Tortola in the background. |
