This Tuesday, I will be hauling the Pretty Gee for the season. I always dread this annual task, since it means that the sailing season is at an end. The long cold dark of winter will be settling in soon. I have some more projects for this winter.
New Instruments
The first one is finishing the TackTick instrument upgrade I started a few weeks ago. I have to remove the existing two through-hull transducers and replace them with the new ones supplied by TackTick. The new speed transducer has some distinct advantages over the older Raymarine one, since it is designed to be quickly removed. The through-hull itself has a flapper gate that will reduce the amount of water allowed in when switching from the transducer to the dummy plug. It also uses a retaining pin system, which eliminates the need to unscrew the collar on the through-hull when switching the plug and the transducer.
I also have to patch the holes that the Raymarine instruments left behind in the cockpit bulkhead. I would like to replace them with a small opening port, which would allow me to ventilate the cabin a bit better in bad weather. I plan on mounting the instrument displays on the port. The TackTick instruments were the ones I originally wanted to get on the boat.
Rigging and Sail Handling
I plan add four padeyes and three hooks to the boom. This will be the new system for tieing down the sail when it is furled. The four padeyes will have a length of shock cord running through them, and when the sail is down, the cord will be pulled over the furled sail and then attached to the three hooks.
I am going to upgrade the lazyjacks system on the boat. The current setup only has two “legs” to help hold the sail on the boom when dropping the mainsail. I plan on adding two more “legs” to help contain the sail. I also plan to run the lazyjacks back to the cockpit, so that they can be retracted or raised from the cockpit.
I’ve also decided to run the lines aft on the cabintop. I have the deck organizers and blocks, but have to add a stainless collar plate to the mast step to attach the blocks. I will be adding a winch to the cabintop, just port of the companionway, to handle most of the lines being brought aft.
The lines I plan on leading aft are:
- The main halyard
- The topping lift
- The outhaul
- Tack line reef #1
- Clew line reef #1
- Tack line reef #2
- Clew line reef #3
- The Lazyjacks
I am adding Spinlock Powercleats to the side of the boat for the two furling lines. The furling lines will be run through the Powercleats to the current deck cleats when furled, but the Powercleats should make handling the furling lines easier.
Navigation Lighting
I am replacing the stern light with an LED-based fixture. I haven’t found a bi-color LED light fixture that I like, but am looking for one to replace the current bow bicolor. Having the stern light and bow bicolor will reduce the electrical load when the boat is under sail. I generally use the deck-level navigation lights when sailing in harbor waters, since many powerboats won’t recognize or see the masttop tricolor light.
I am adding steaming and foredeck light fixture, which currently doesn’t exist.
To accommodate all the changes in the running and deck lights, I have a new six-position switch panel. The top two switches when turned on together will trigger the masttop strobe light in an emergency. I have to finish installing the panel, but have been waiting for the steaming/foredeck light to be installed. The six switches will be setup as follows:
- Anchor light
- Masttop tricolor
- Foredeck light
- Steaming light
- Stern light
- Bow bi-color light
Electrical Upgrades
At some point I’d like to upgrade the charger to a charger/inverter and increase the house battery bank to 400-600 Amp-hours. Ideally, I would want four or six AGM golf cart batteries for the house bank and a Xantrex Freedom 20 Charger/Inverter. However, that probably won’t happen this winter. I also hope to get the solar panels finally installed and setup properly next spring.