Would like -fruition

Last winter, Skipper produced a number of 'would likes', items that aren't part of my upkeep but that the Skipper considers to be nice to have for various reasons.  Easier to sail, enhanced performance, better use of space.  He entered into the manufacturing and fitting of an 'L' shaped bracket and strengthen my front bulkhead to take a 'D' ring just behind the anchor locker in order that a J3 can be made and flown in either strong winds (which we've had a few recently), or in light air when coupled with the Code 0, as per the Volvo Ocean Race IMOCA 60's had, with the view of getting across Lyme Bay in half the time, when invariably the wind drops one way or the other.  Or cover twice the distance of course.

The new sail has been made and collected and the halyards and lines are just being completed, so soon I'll have another to add to my suit of sails. On the sail front, I understand that my Code 0 will go back to the maker and be altered to take the top-down furling system, which will make its use so much easier and safer when sailing light-handed, as we usually do.

Two more pulleys were replaced at the weekend (6/10/19), leaving three of the old ones left to go, then all at the bottom of the mast have been replaced.  Two more could be changed to match that controls the boom, the main sheet, but maybe these will remain.

My line tidy's that had spider or starfish cracks are still in the garage although I understand one of them is ready to come back, having been resprayed with a white Gel coat and a clear one.  Giving a deeper shine.  It would be good to have those back on soon.

My plotter in the cockpit has been back to the manufacturers a couple of times to have it diodes replaced.  The screen sometimes flickers and goes dark before coming back and more recently it's been noted that the colours in the corners have faded. Clearly, Skip and Crew have been talking to the manufacturers or their appointed dealers at this year's boat show in Southampton as next week (17th) I'm going to be heading to Hamble Point, my original birthplace here in the UK, to have new 2019 hardware fitted replacing both cockpit and nav station screens.  It will, of course, mean that the old analogue radar will not talk to them, but with the more intuitive AIS system I already have, its use has diminished greatly.  In fact, the last fog episodes when we went to Weymouth and back, the radar wasn't used in favour of the AIS system.  So I can see this being removed from my mast taking a fair chunk of weight twenty feet or so above the deck and thus improving my centre of gravity and AVS numbers (angle of vanishing stability).

This was never on any list and so maybe this winters haul out will not be about 'would like's' and 'must-haves' but more basic maintenance and look forward to a new season sailing with all these improvements coming together.  Although I hear there's something else being made to enhance the experience of onboard living!

I'm to be on the hard for three months again and one in the marina.