The mast is off.

June 16, 2016  We left the Corinthians Chesapeake Cruise in Solomons, MD and drove down to Regent Point.  Paul had removed the mast since we were there on Monday and went over a few things with us.

It turns out that the open top of the mast (turned 90 degrees to face aft) is a choice nesting spot for some species of bird.  That explains the source of the debris I kept finding in the bilge...it dropped down through the mast.

 Debris at base of the mast.

Roughness on the underside of the spreaders could be from galvanic corrosion.  They are aluminum and may not be properly isolated from the carbon fiber mast.

They guy who installed the new wind instrument at the top of the mast just before we purchased Owl Moon tied a knot in the cable to prevent it from being pulled down the mast...not the proper way to accomplish this.

Paul says the VHF cable needs to be larger size because of the distance from the radio.  Also, the second,cable that is present can be pulled (not sure why it is there since you cannot have two antennas that close to one another).

Groves are wearing in the clevis pin for the forestay where it passes through the fitting at the top of the mast.

The Harken Battcars do not slide easily.  I tried cleaning them with warm soapy water and then vinegar.  That seemed to help some, but still some resistance.  Now I know why the main did not drop easily.  Paul will pull one of the cars to take a look at the bearings.

I also worked on the rope clutches some more...this time with warm soapy water.  Most of them now seem to work fine, but still need to get a couple of them to close consistently.  Paul suggested I try ammonia.

While there, they lifted the boat to check on the centerboard and well.  They were pretty clean, but power washed to clean some more.

Looking inside the well, I could see small barnacles attached to the pennant.  I am going to have the yard replace the pennant while they have the mast out.

While the boat was lifted, Paul took a look at the keel/hull joint.

After cutting away the 5200, the gap is still apparent at the aft end of the keel/hull joint.

The rest of the keel seemed much tighter against the keel, but Paul found a few places where he could insert a blade a bit.

Checking on status

June 13, 2016  We diverted to Regent Point Marina from the Corinthian Cruise we were on in order to check in on Owl Moon.  The boom has been removed, but the mast is still standing...a bit of progress.  Such a hot day, and with Owl Moon on the hard, I didn't feel like doing any work aboard...actually kind of depressing while the rest of the Corinthian fleet are enjoying their boats for the Chesapeake Cruise.  Neil Ross invited us aboard Adagio, so at least we are getting in some sailing.

This is the center of three U-bolts on the bottom of the boom that hold blocks for the mainsheet.  You can see that it is bent.  Pinnacle (T4300 #5) lost her middle U-bolt while off Hatteras in May.

Another one of the U-bolts.  There shouldn't be this much corrosion.

Cracking on the boom at the end that connects to the mast.  Paul plans to remove the SS fitting to inspect more closely.