Well I finally got around to putting up the sails. First I stepped the mast. I found one needs to be careful that all halyards and lines need to be on the proper side of the spreaders before raising the mast. I tried raising it myself using a line attached to the jib halyard but I didn't find this as easy as it was described on the rigging forum in the SJ Org site so I enlisted the help of my wife and it went right up. One mistake I made was not making the stern mast crutch high enough so the mast resting on the crutch would clear the hatch cover so I could place the hinge pin. Mine is too low so I had to lift it about 12 inches to clear the hatch cover. I had to undo the side rigging in order to pull the the mast base back far enough to engage the hinge pin. The backstay is not adjustable (except for the turnbuckle). I doubt I will be racing so I am not sure how important that would be for cruising but I am considering a simple block adjuster. Of course I would need a new wire. My jib and main halyards are steel w/ a line attached. I will need to replace the rope part but the metal seems serviceable for now. All the rigging seems to be in good shape except one side shroud has some broken wires. I will need to replace that one. A main, jib, and 130% genoa came w/ the boat.. Today was the first time I was to see the sails. I was concerned because if they were ripped, torn , or eaten by mice I am not sure I wanted to sink the money into this project to buy all new sails but I was pleasantly surprised - they were all in good shape. They were dirty and stained but no rips or holes. My sail number is 263. My next step is to make a tiller handle, a new wooden bed for the traveler and clean out the cabin. All the cushions are trashed and there is mold and mildew that needs to be removed. All the carpeting and anything not fiberglass needs to be removed. My plan is to make the boat sea worthy this year and next year I plan on making it pretty. I had planned on building a cradle in order to inspect the keel but I might just put her in the water and see what happens.
