The regular January meeting was postponed to February 4 to accommodate a program on Passage Planning with Ken Gillstrom, but was then cancelled because of heavy snow. We did not want the Gillstroms to make the effort to fit us into their busy schedule then face a meeting with poor attendance.
The regular February meeting on the 25th featured Steve White of Steve White Rigging on rigging. He showed many failed rigging parts explaining how they failed and what to do to prevent their failure. He highlighted that when inspecting a rigging, one of the biggest things to look for is corrosion from stainless steel fittings in aluminum masts. In addition, one should inspect the goose neck, vang and spreaders: are they tight? is there corrosion?
Steve also showed different kinds of mast attachment fittings and swage fittings. Cracking and broken strands are the most common problems with swage fitting. This is mostly due to age, so if one fitting is showing some problems, then likely the others on the boat will have similar issues as well. Fifteen years is typically the recommended maximum age for rigging integrity on a boat.
The show and tell section included a collection of offshore fishing gear to be taken home by Fleet members kindly donated by Kent Webster of Home Free. A Fleet member showed how wrapping small electronics in aluminum foil can serve as a Faraday cage, and another member showcase a vacuum thermal cooker that can be very useful on board, as it can save on the amount of propane used to cook.
The March meeting on the 31st will cover the topic of Weather, presented by Fleet member Greg Bernard.
Can you tell me when the fleet will be depending and where from?
Best regards. Sv Heart Ann Soul