Yard, Sail

Prep work was the order of the day today, as I turned my attention to the spars. A number of holes had to be marked and drilled in the gunter yard and the main boom, so that I could begin varnishing these parts. The instructions mention that it is surprisingly difficult to epoxy coat these pieces, and that multiple coats of varnish are sufficient to protect them. But before I could do this, a number of holes had to be drilled. In the gunter yard, there are holes positioned all along the spar that correspond to grommets in the luff of the main sail. These are the points where the sail will be lashed to the gunter. Also, a hole is drilled in the long axis of the gunter at its center for the attachment of the main sail halyard. Along the main boom, holes must be drilled for mounting of two mainsheet blocks, the main clew outhaul, and the boom downhaul. When these were marked, I drilled each with a 1/4" bit. I also mounted the main mast stays and jib halyard block to the masthead. Finally, three cleats were installed at the base of the main mast which will be used to belay halyards and the main sail downhaul.

After that, I rolled the boat out into the fresh afternoon breeze and gave the first coat of varnish a light sanding. I was disappointed to find several areas of crazing. This apparently resulted from a too thick coat of varnish. Since they were mostly on horizontal surfaces, there weren't drips or runs, but as the overly-thick layer dried, it crinkled up into a pattern much like a fingerprint. So extra sanding mostly removed these areas, and served as a reminder to be extra careful about applying a thin layer when I put the second coat on tomorrow morning. Total Hours 91.75.