You may be wondering by now where Seablossom is, how she's liking her life in the lake, and so forth.
There has been a little delay. When I looked at her sitting in her slip I failed to see how far from properly rigged she is.
I've already mentioned the running backstays and forestay. None of her lines were led to the cockpit. There was no tack line, and no mast lift. The topping lifts, rather than rendering through eyes on the bottom of the boom, belayed in four places on the sides of the boom.
There was, I am pleased to announce, a halyard, but it did not come down in the "chimney" and lead back to the forward end of the cockpit, but rather came down at an angle away from the mast to turn at a block on the side deck in order that it could be led to what I think would have been a mainsheet cleat on the side of the cockpit in a factory rigged Nor'Sea 27.
You may be wondering how I could have failed to notice all of this. It was easy. I was overwhelmed. In a way I still am.
I am fortunate that there is a sailboat parts store just over 100 miles away. I have collected blocks, jam cleats, and odds and ends.
I confess that I was paralyzed at first. The point of this exercise was to go sailing and quit, fercryingoutloud, working on boats.
So tonight I drilled all the holes in the cabin top for blocks for the halyard, yard hauling parrell, and topping lift (2). Tomorrow I'll get them all epoxyed up so the end-grain balsa doesn't bloat up and die, redrill them, and get the blocks installed. It's tricky, since all my epoxy is winter flavors and the weather's been running in the low to high 90's F.
I've been fiddling with the masthead fitting, too, which isn't perfect either but it's going to have to do.
I bought the parts for a 3:1 purchase for the halyard. I know I can't pick the sail up off the ground by myself. I'll be using the same purchase on the topping lifts.
[grumble]