I took advantage of the fine weather yesterday to work outside and paint the final coat of antifoul and topside paints.  Using a roll and tip method went very quickly, thanks to assistance from Siobhan,  and I noticed that the paint dried much quicker than previously when working inside my small garage.

I had a call from my sail maker to say he could be here tomorrow to measure the mast bend before making the sails!  So that spurned me on to  attach the shroud plate and forestay tang in order to step the mast.  Brian came along to help but then I noticed that I had made two forestay tangs and a jib halyard tang in bronze but missed out on the mast shrouds.... So I had to jury rig up two shroud plates out of some galvanized door hinges which were remarkably suited to the task - even if they are only temporary.

First we clamped the shroud plates and tang to the specified positions on the mast to make sure that the shrouds and forestay were the correct lengths, as the bronze bottle screws are quite small and don't allow for much adjustment.

This proved a good idea, as it allowed us to drill and screw the plates at exactly the right height.  I noticed that the mast is turned slightly in the mast step, so I have slight adjustments to make in the tenon at the bottom of the mast, but nonetheless, it was a great feeling to finally step the mast and stand back and look at the boat in her nearly completed state.

You can see where the foredeck meets the coaming that the paint line is irregular - despite a number of attempts.  I'm think I may need to apply a rounded epoxy bead to ensure a cleaner fit - unless others have suggestions.

Quality Control Officer....

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