Rigging
Directly after work I went to the harbor, to spend a few hours onboard.
It was blowing hard these recent days but today the wind calmed down - perfect conditions to tighten the rig and to put sails. Staying rig got tightened to working tension and I rigged genua.
There are a few things I would like to finish before starting the season: mounting VHF radio, autopilot and heating system.
I started with autopilot as this is the functionality I lack the most when sailing alone. I routed electrical wires to the rudder station and prepared the socket. Forgot to take torx-keys for opening the fuse box so instead I was drawing different ways to mount the Raymarine autopilot.
On kosters - like my boat - the pilot’s arm needs to be mounted at the very beginning of the tiller, very close to the rudder. I made measurements last year.
This makes it tricky as the device has no deck under to be mounted thus I need to design some kind of fixture to hold it in place.
For the radio I found ideal place close to the hatch - within reach from the cockpit and close to (future) navigation table. I just need to make a proper mount for it so that I don’t drive screws directly into planks.
Sitting in cozy cabin and listening to the radio. I took my favorite ultra-portable typewriter to type some letters.
Peace of mind and silence inside my wooden boat are perfect conditions for banging thoughts onto paper.
I got called out to get back home so I didn’t manage to rig the mainsail. I’ll do it tomorrow. If the weather permits I might go for the first sail this season.