Ariel goes high-tech (sort of)

We swore we'd never do it; we're too traditional and it's potentially unreliable. The increased windage is a nuisance. And the expense . . . way too much. We'd rather invest the money in more important things.

Well, we did it.

Ariel is on her way to sporting - not just one, but two - roller furling units. We stopped by the Spin-Tec booth at Strictly Sail Chicago, intending to do some research, and we walked away with an order for furlers for the staysail and jib.

I assembled the foil for the jib today. It was fairly straightforward, although the directions are a bit sketchy in parts. The most difficult part of assembly was inserting and positioning five bushings in each foil section. The directions read "insert the first bushing until you feel slight resistance..." Slight resistance required a whole lot of grunting and brute force - even judicious use of a hammer and wooden dowel.

Tomorrow I'll reattach the headstay and foil, and get the mast ready for stepping on Thursday. No pictures - yet.