Okay, someone had better take away my debit card, because it's getting out of control here. I recently received repayment on the interest-free loan I generously -- and inadvertently -- made to the federal government during 2008, and I thought 'Hey, it would benefit me, Central Air, *and* the economy if I was to spend a nice chunk of this money on some new boat toys.'There are several things I've wanted to do to make it easier for me to singlehand or have first-time crew aboard, but -- no surprise -- I never seem to get to those projects during the season. One such project is leading the main halyard (starboard side of mast) and jiffy reefing line (port side of mast) back to the cockpit for easier handling. I always instruct my crew to stand on the companionway steps to raise and lower the main, but they inevitably seem to want to climb up on the cabin top and flail around, putting themselves at risk of going for a swim.... and freaking out the skipper in the process.
A fellow C-18 sailor, Moe, from the Catalina 18 YahooGroup, suggested that the simplest way to lead the lines back to the cockpit is to install a Harken 140 Big Bullet pivoting block with 150 cam cleat at the base of the mast. Wow - what a simple and elegant solution!
I am going to have a seriously tricked-out sailboat for the upcoming season! And I'll again get to satisfy my lust for drilling holes in stuff.
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