Trying to prepare for storms

Sorry, but not much has happened with the dinghy recently. The main reason is that I have not been well and work has also been getting in the way. We will be on the case very shortly!

In the meantime I would like to thank a friend Andy, who very kindly collected a Storm Trysail in my absence. I bought second-hand for Roach. It is made out of cotton, and is circa 1950’s, but it is in very good condition and looks like it has hardly been used. Not something I would use very often, but a nice thing to have in the sail locker. As I don’t want to add a second track and gate to the mast, I was thinking of adding strong loops with toggles – a well known simple, if old-fashioned, way of attaching a trysail.

Another addition has been the purchase of 4 bronze stanchion bases. I am not fond of stanchions, but I think that if I do make a channel crossing or venture further afield, they will provide some added security. The idea is to have two either side of the cockpit and two more where the shroud plates are. That should protect me getting swept off deck when I am going to reef down the main. I rarely venture forward of the mast, so I don’t really see the point of stanchions further forward.