this is how internet rumors get started....

I got an email from a friend/pathfinder sailor yesterday. I just want to say there is no truth to what he thinks he saw.

"I did notice your wench hooked to your centerboard and wondered why..."

It is true that I am doing a little work on Spartina. I'm changing out the centerboard pendant block, substituting the original one on the right for the new one on the left. The original was undersized but it did work for four years. The new one is the right size but I'll need to make a wooden spacer to get it fastened properly in to place.

And I think with the change I'll be able to put the centerboard trunk cap in place. The Pathfinder plans call for the top of the trunk to be open. But I've found at anchorage people like to sit on top of the trunk and this will make it more comfortable. Plus the piece of varnished wood looks nice inside the grey cockpit. I made the cap when I built the boat, just never got around to putting some hidden bungee hooks in place to hold the cap down (it will be easily removable if I need to access the trunk).

I was surprised at how clumsy the tools felt in my hands. I was never a woodworker of any sort, but after a layoff of a few years it seemed like I had never used a saw before.

This winter I want to also make a slight modification to the tiller, add a drain for the mizzen mast step (I've already drilled the hole in the bottom of the boat) and do the painting and touch up work that I started a few weeks ago. The temperatures, dropping in to the thirties as I write, aren't helping. I think I'll wait for a warmer day.

And for the record, I don't have a wench.

steve