We'd rather be Sailing

There’s an upside to owning a 30 year old boat.  (I’m a glass-half-full-type of person.)  Its seaworthiness and competiveness have been well and truly ‘tried and tested’ with racing over many years.  We enjoy the confidence of knowing our boat can handle the heaviest conditions.  But last week, we realised there’s also a downside to owning an ageing boat.  Like some baby boomers we know, our girl is starting to show the effects of her age.  The most recent evidence was fatigue to a chain plate. (Chain plates help secure the mast and rigging.) 

Fatigue in the chain plate

Fatigue cracks in yacht chain plates are apparently common in stainless, particularly where salt water is present.  The replacement of the chain plates with newly-fabricated, and heavier duty, stainless plates should be a straightforward task for TOH.  But with the four day Easter holiday almost upon us, it goes without saying that we’d rather be sailing.