Double jaw toggle… and other parts

I had a good conversation with Andy Cross at Crusader Sails today. They are making the new sails and lazybag for Liza. So I was checking over the measurement sheet I had sent them.

Some years back Paul & Vicky Lees from Crusader Sails had come out to Cyprus to teach me & Tim Price how to measure yachts for new sails, but it's always better to re-confirm everything before the sails are made rather than find they don't fit afterwards!

Alongside the measurement sheet, there is also a series of photographs they like to see to show them the various places where the sails interface with the rigging. One of those was the furler and the linkage to the hull.

The forestay hadn't looked quite right but I wasn't sure why. The brass shackle was due for replacement whatever happened.

Andy had noticed it from the photo and said that as well as the turnbuckle there should be a double jaw toggle… he said that loads of boats are like mine, but it's not right and could potentially fail.

I'm sure I cannot buy one 'off the shelf' without replacing the whole roller furling system so I shall build one. It shouldn't be too difficult to design on CAD and then get laser cut and folded.

There were a few items on my purchase list that I needed to complete fitting out, including life jackets, a flexible water tank, gas cylinder, compass…

Tim called from Italy to say he was in a huge chandler's shop there and to let him know anything he could bring back. So I gave him the list. He called back three more times with questions. I shall be interested to see what actually arrives.

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