I'm doing a little mast work this week, raising the throat halyard about a foot higher to give me a little more latitude when setting the main. The extra inches will also let me tension the boom tent more effectively. Removing the block left a rough area of expoxy and the silicone rubber that I used to bed the four stainless steel screws. I smoothed out the mast using a 2" wide iron slick, a gift from a friend. He found the chisel in Maine where it had been used in the shipbuilding business. A note with the tool says it dates to the 19 century and was likely made by W Marples & Sons. I am proud to own it, and proud to use it. (The photograph at top was shot with the new GoPro Hero 7 Black on the linear setting.)
I just need to drill out the old holes in the mast and tap in epoxy-coated 1/4" teak dowel. A little Bristol varnish to cover the dowel plugs and I should have SPARTINA ready for weekend sailing.
Nice, always fun to use the right tool for the right job, even decades later.
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