Modified sliding Gunter.

[Rex fearnehough]

I have to tell you about my latest, stupid, moment.

I rigged my mast, spars and sail two days ago. I fastened the mast and spars to the fence post. Dropped the spar to tye on the sail, (gunter rig,) found that it pulled really well, both before and into wind. So well in fact that I have to put a new boundary fence post in. It took off after a while!

Now yet another question to anyone out there.

On the mast of my gunter there was an iron loop, with hook, which hooked into a loop on the spar, which in turn tightened the spar to the mast. I have decided that because my sailing will be done with, two arms and four paws, that I want to run everything aft for ease of use.

If I run the halyard through the block to the spar and hoist spar and sail together. Fasten to a cleat aft, it would be easier.

It would also simplify putting in a reef.

What am I missing?

[Johannah]

Rex, we have a sail rig for kayaks and canoes that is gunter, though surely much smaller than yours. The fitting you describe is there but rather than hook into a fitting on the mast, the loop is large enough to slide up and down the mast. The resulting problem seems to be pulling the gaff up tightly enough to the mast but I think there are some fairly easy solutions (toggled loop to keep gaff close?) that will allow the whole shebang to slide. Can you get a modified fitting made?

So glad you have discovered how to attach your pictures. The mermaid is wonderful. Nan is back from New Zealand and had a wonderful time. They went sea kayaking and took a couple of small plane rides. But her top favourite adventure was seeing where parts of the Lord of the Ring movies were filmed on the South Island. The girls in her class are madly in love with a young actor named Orlando Bloom who was in the film, and she met someone who had actually met him. Ah, love. Of course her dad got home too, thank heavens, but is off to the University of Puerto Rico next week. What a year!