I really should have written an update at the end of last summer. I feel like I did a lot of work on my boat but now I can only remember three changes to the rig. So, I only have a very small list of updates.
Everything takes so much longer than I expect. It is hard to believe how many years I have been messing around with the same rig. Boats, right?
1. I replaced the fiberglass yard with an aluminum tube.
Under full sail the fiberglass yard would sometimes bend enough to concern me. After dropping even one panel it would pretty much look straight, so, while I felt it was a problem, I was pretty sure it was not not an immediate problem. I put this off for almost a year after I bought the replacement tube since I remember getting the original yard rigged was very difficult. This is one of the few things that actually was easier than I expected. It seems that most of the difficulty was learning how to rig the yard, not doing the actual work. I was able to rig the new spar in something like half the time I expected. I now have the same size tube in place for my yard, all battens and the boom. I hope this means my battens are oversized and not that my yard is undersized. So far I like the new yard. It is easier to hoist the sail because it is lighter, but it is actually slightly more work to drop the sail completely. The new yard is not heavy enough to allow the top panel to fall all the way to the top of the sail bundle. This has not been a serious problem. I can still get the sail all the way down without leaving the cockpit.
2. I replaced my 'rope only' mast lift with a webbing mast lift. The rig seems to rotate more easily or, at least, with less noise from the rope rubbing on the mast. I also rigged this mast lift using a snap shackle so it is less work to rig and de-rig the boat each year.
I have one photo that shows the mast lift and part of the new yard.
3. I trimmed the lines that attach the sail to the boom. This was one of many things that look untidy. It bothered me. I am happy with the improvement.