Hi All,

Thanks for the good comments.

Issue 102 completed:
- All centre line stays fitted
After they were fitted I spent nearly the whole morning to re-tension all the stays and backstays to ensure that the masts are vertical.
To be honest I was struggling a lot, I couldn't get the stays between the main and fore masts set to a good tension (to bear the weight of the main topgallant sail), also keep the fore and main mast vertical and the jibbooms not inclining upwards.
At the end I had to remove (were fixed in previous issues) the two threads between the jibbooms and the fore mast because they were pulling the jibbooms up significantly.
Now, I got the mizzen mast nice vertical, the main topgallant mast leaning backwards a very tiny bit, and the fore topgallant mast leaning backwards a bit more than the main mast. Currently all the stays between the fore mast and the jibbooms are unfastened, so the bowsprit is straight. (continuation below...)
- Main topgallant staysail fitted. There was some uncertainty how the thread A & B should be fed through the brackets, but with Alan's (Gandale) help I managed to fit them.

Issue 103 started:
- A faulty sail again , this time the mizzen topgallant staysail ... When I had the other two faulty sails I didn't complain about this one, because I thought that the curve on the long side is normal. But now I see that the long edge should go to the stay, which is obviously a straight line . Spare part requested from customer service.
- I'm skipping the rest of the issue for now to get all the stay tensions correct.

Issue 104 started:
As I mentioned above, currently I have no connection between the fore mast and the bowsprit, hence the fore topgallant mast is leaning backwards.
I'm hoping if I fit all the bowsprit rigging (bobstays and martingales) first, then it will provide enough support for the jibbooms, that when the stays refitted between them and the fore mast, then everything will be pulled back to vertical, also keeps the jibbooms straight.
So started to fit the blocks for the bobstays.

If anyone has a better suggestion/idea, I'm open for them.

Lovely work.

Mark

Hi Walter,

I’m not sure what supposed to use, not mentioned in the magazine, but I use two half-hitches.
I set the tension with the first one and secure the knot with the second one.
To be honest, it’s quite tricky because I have to hold the first one with a tweezer while securing with the second otherwise the first releases. But after some practice (and swearing) it works for me.

I hope this helps to you.

Hello Everyone,

Issue 103 continued:
- fitting the mizzen topgallant staysail is parked for now because I'm waiting the replacement sails. They promised to receive it within 5-7 workdays.
- another try with the jib... I removed what I've done yesterday and I flipped it over to have the other long edge fitted to the stay. It looks much better, the short edge is nearly parallel to the jibboom. It still sagging a bit after the lower corner tied (even if there is no tension on those threads) but sagging less than yesterday, and the overall fit is much better.
- I fitted the flying jib on the same way, it flipped compared to the magazine. It also sagging a bit, but on an acceptable level, I suppose.

Maybe the pros here would call me an evil or sacrilegious because of flipping them over but it seems right for me.

Looking good and she is coming to life now the sails are going on

Ahoy Shipmates,

Thank you for the kind words, much appreciated.

Issue 103 continued:
- mizzen booms fitted
- mizzen fitted and rigged
Question:
Will the little loop on the upper front corner be used later on, or shall I just tie it to front edge of the sail? (see close picture below)

Issue 105 started/completed:
- fore sail fitted
- parrel added
- sail and yard rigged
Wow... that was a hard task, I spent two days to complete the fore sail.
Hint: I was struggling with the parrel because while I tried to tie one end to the yard, it was keep falling down by its own weight. So I fixed it temporarily to the mast top to keep it in the correct height and central.

Hello All,

After couple of days quietness here are some updates.

Issue 107 started:
- fore topgallant sail rigged and fitted

Then due to the next step require to work around the mizzen mast I stopped here, as the replacement mizzen topgallant staysail still hasn't arrived. I was not sure if the steps in issue 107 will disturb/block the fitting of the last staysail. Issue 108 skipped for now for the same reason.

While waiting I started issue 109 with the 18-foot cutter:
- building frame assembled
- planking completed
- cutter removed from frame and sanded smooth
- keel fitted. I found a fairly big gap at the bow between the planking and the curve of the keel, so I filled it up with wood filler
I didn't complete the last few steps with the inner planks and the grating as I will paint the inside first yellow ochre.
I put this aside now and paint together with the other three boats later on.

The replacement sail arrived early this week.
Done the soaking in tea exactly as I done with the other sails... of course, Murphy's Law took effect... it ended up with a darker shade .
This sail must have a slightly different material, as I followed my previous soaking process precisely.
Anyhow... I tried to wash it through with cold water, hoping that it will get lighter.... unfortunately it didn't...
Tonight I'll test fit onto the ship to see how much the difference is noticeable. If it's easy to see then I might will to soak it for clean water for a while, hoping that it will get lighter.

Have you got any other suggestion how to make it lighter?