The Ballad Exchange

Hi Bob: The header is original. I like the Herreschoff look too. Also, the Dutch use off-white with teak or mahogany trim a lot on their boats. I've done the same on Moments of Clarity, particularly in the revamped galley, chart table and dinette. That, along with a few colourful cushions and a nice...

Nicholas
Moments of Clarity
hull #334

An excerpt from MOC's summer photo log. Drop me a line if you need more info.

-Nicholas.

Call it a “megayacht syndrome” but I’ve always marvelled at the lit masts of large sailboats at anchor. It wasn’t that I was in a rush to have Moments of Clarity join the big leagues but, truth be told, when you’re approaching an anchorage past midnight it’s the “Christmas tree masts” you notice fir...

Hi to all: Just to add my two cents' worth to the tank issue. My original tank under the V-berth is in great shape, with no leaks, so I had no reason to replace it. But the previous owner had installed two 100-liter Vetus flexible tanks under the settees which I kept, later substituting one of them ...

After much deliberation, I decided to go exotic with the check stays for the inner forestay. I sourced--and got a really good price on--Alpha Ropes' 100% Dyneema with polyester cover, with a breaking load of slightly over 3 tonnes (similar to the one of 6mm 1X19 wire). This will run through two larg...

Below are a couple of photos of the storm jib bent on the new inner forestay. The sheets pass inboard of the cap shrouds and outboard of the lowers, for a better sheeting angle. The tack of the sail will be attached a little lower than in the photos. I'm currently having an old Genoa 3 recut so that...

Hi Bob: You're right about the Code Zeros. I have an asymmetric on a furler, and I can assure you that you have to crank hard on the winch to tighten the halyard when going upwind and, particularly, when you want to furl it. I've built a special attachment point on the anchor platform for that, with...

Hi Bob: I already had a Solent stay that terminated high up on the mast, about 30cm below the headstay. (The deck fitting is the Wichard watertight U-bolt you see in the first photo, just behind the anchor platform.) This has served me well, although keeping heavy-weather sails closer to the mast is...

Hi Mike: The water tank is in its original place but I sealed off the inlet when I installed the platform for the twin anchor rollers. Now, I just drag the water hose into the V-berth and fill the tank through the inspection hatch. I've also replaced some of the original dome-headed toe rail bolts w...