Lazy Jacks

The primary task today was to complete the lazy jacks for the main sail. We have been getting tired of trying to flake the sail when we drop it, and with the new bimini it got even more difficult - we had to close the bimini to flake the sail. OK, maybe it is lazy, but we believe the easy way is often the safer way.

So we went down at about 8:30 and I went up the main mast to fit two cheek blocks for the lines for the lazy jacks. The mast is aluminium, but even still drilling through and pop riveting the cheek blocks in place was hard work. I did a bit of drilling and took a pause and did a bit more and took a pause. Suddenly I realised why I needed to take pauses... each time I drilled I was holding my breath! You can only hold your breath so many times before you need a pause. Funny things we do when concentrating!

Anyway by mid-afternoon the lazy jack system was in place. The ropes are knotted rather than whipped at this stage. We had time for whipping the ends, but decided we would sail tomorrow and check that all the lengths are correct before whipping them.

Then we went back to Tim's flat and did some more sewing on the dodger. We managed to get the velcro edges round the window. That was a task and a half. We had fitted the plastipane window already and folded back the edge and used basting tape to hold in place and then more basting tape to hold the velcro in place... that makes 2 layers of Sunbrella, 2 layers of basting tape, 1 layer of plastipane and one layer of velco to sew through!

The dodger is now heavy and unwieldy, so there was me and Erika holding and guiding the dodger and Tim winding the handle of the sewing machine.  Dodger is not quite complete, but is another stage further on!