Last preparations in Harwich

Mon 15th and Tues 16th May in Harwich

It's only a 5 min walk from our house to the Ha'penny Pier where Bonify was moored but we'd walked a few miles by the time we'd finished toing and froing.
Spare bedding, more pillows, food and booze, clothes and boat equipment were loaded and stowed.
Heavier stuff including life raft and spare fuel came closer by car.

Work continued on the 'new' wiring cabinet (ex bathroom cabinet) as it re-acquired doors and slowly but surely the tangle of wires was tamed.

Cabinet is painted, door not yet, wires starting to look more ordered

In this close up perhaps you can spot the slight technical hitch? New labelling required.

The new mainsheet is rather bright but that look won't last long. It's 14mm to replace the old 16mm. The rope seems to swell as it ages and had stopped running through the blocks comfortably.

Mainsheet looking a bit new

The new mooring lines are also a bit dazzling. They are Tipto 12 which Howard first encountered on Ed's gaff schooner Drum of Drake when he sailed on her last year.  It's very light weight so the crew like handling it and it floats which could avoid a fouling of the prop. Magic ingredient: Dyneema.

New mooring lines and smart red whisker shrouds

There's also Dyneema in our smart new red whisker shrouds. These are the stays which give lateral support to the bowsprit. The previous ones were steel wire but as we retract the bowsprit regularly (in marinas and other tight spots) we wanted something easier to handle and less abrasive on the paintwork. Thanks to Rory Howlett for fabricating these. Rory also sorted out modifications to the backstays - Rory if you read this you might like to know that Howard finally sussed out what wasn't quite right with his rigging up the mast and had to climb up there - twice!!

The stainless rod and bottle screw on the bow are new too - very tidy

We're starting to look ready.