The lead-up to our family summer cruise aboard the PBO Project Boat had not been as smooth as I’d have liked. We had beautiful new lines and sails for our Maxi 84, built by T Sails, and the engine alternator was finally working after its refurbishment. But I still had to get the mainsail gate back into the mast to stop the sail slides from falling out when the sail is reefed or lowered. It should have been a simple job...
The sail gate was a brand new flush one from Seldén, as the original wouldn’t take the sail battens. Our rigger had fitted it originally but what we didn’t realise, before removing it to fit the sails for a boat test (PBO February 23), was that the screws were designed to be captive. Alas, in our rush to the 1630 lifting bridge, we’d pulled them out altogether. The screws dropped and made their getaway deep into the base of the mast-track. No amount of dangling a magnetic screwdriver would coax them out.
The following day, armed with a giant box of screws from my dad’s garage, I tried reattaching the sail gate with various-sized screws. It was tricky trying to poke them through the narrow groove of the sail gate and into the hole. None had threads wide enough for the hole. The ones I did finally manage to get in didn’t hold and pulled straight out again when I tried hoisting the sail.
After a couple of hours I gave up and went to a chandlery where the owner informed me that no screw would fit through that sail gate. Exasperated at my lack of DIY skills I called Chris Evans of XP Rigging. When he heard the screws had come out, he groaned. “They’re captive, how on earth did you do that? You’re going to have to replace the sail gate, fit it upside down and drill and tap new holes.”
Bu hikaye Practical Boat Owner dergisinin May 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Practical Boat Owner dergisinin May 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
A sailor's guide to UK sharks and fish
Genevieve Leaper looks at some of the shark species around the British and Irish coasts and how to spot these fish from your boat
Multihull anchoring
Brush up on your multihull sailing skills before heading off on a holiday charter with Gavin Le Sueur's guide to anchoring
A revolution in fabrics
Marine fabrics are using natural fibres, less harmful chemicals and longer-lasting colours. Jake Kavanagh looks at the cut of the cloth
Shoestring voyage of adventure
Richard King and Serafin Colmenares Jr. look back at the remarkable Pacific voyage of Florentino Das in his 24ft home-built boat
A fine day out with a visitor
Six hours afloat and a guided tour to vindicate a fictional sailing heroine's navigational skills
Boats for Baltic cruising
Duncan Kent picks the best sub-40ft sail and power boats for crossing the North Sea and exploring a Baltic summer
Boatyard life
The tide of the year Is rising. Time for work
Weather or not to go sailing
Ignore the apps: it's much safer to swear by the weather wisdom of a local oracle
The angelic East Coast pocket cruiser
It is 100 years since the first Deben Cherub was launched. Julia Jones looks back at the history of this 21ft river racing class
Best anchor types for varied cruising
Rupert Holmes on choosing the best anchor for your boat, your style of cruising, how you’ll use it and your budget