Two of the last items are now installed. Arabella now has webbing jackstays fitted, port and starboard, to Wichard pad-eyes, through bolted to strong points with metal backing pads.In addition, the zipped canvas divider between the "forecabin" and the "saloon" (okay, so I'm exaggerating a bit) has now been installed.
Above: The new canvas partition between the saloon and the forepeak.Arabella now needs to come out onto hard standing for a few weeks, just to give her a quick dry-out, to get the antifouling done and to re-oil the bare teak on the rubbing strake. Also, having got her coachroof and cockpit all nice and shiny, I want to have a go at her hull and see what kind of results I can get.
Meanwhile, in readiness for this year's Round The Island, a spinnaker is on order. I'm one of those people who find spinnakers genuinely scary, so once Arabella goes back into the water, I'll be having a spot of 'own boat tuition', I think.
The big unknown is how long the yard will take to get around to doing the final tasks, which include the antifouling and the engine service as well as some snagging list items. This is the stage at which it all fell apart in 2007, with the result that a less-than-ready Arabella went into the water with barely any time to spare before the Round The Island race in June. I'm keeping my fingers crossed - and harrying the yard.
