Rigging is Ready

I was on board yesterday morning when Edgar showed up with the new lower shrouds.  When he was finished with the installation I felt the tension and commented that the shrouds seemed very tight.  He replied that they needed to be tight because they are shorter than the other stays, a fact that I filed away in my head.

He then went up the mast to begin an assessment of the rest of the rigging and to my relief he pronounced it all OK.  I told him that I was worried about the rust that was appearing where the wires meet the swages, which opened up a good explanation of why it isn't rust but rather staining from all of the airborne material that works its way down the wires over time.  I asked him about the American practice of putting silicone sealant at the swages, which is not recommended by the big companies probably to avoid liability issues.  He suggested that a lanolin grease would be safe to use, so I plan to treat all of the boundaries between wire and lower swages with "Lanocote" lanolin grease.

Section of Dyform wire

I am including a photo of a section of the Dyform wire of the new lower shrouds.  Note the smaller wires between the larger wires. The outer surfaces have been flattened slightly.  The effect is a stiffness half way between ordinary wire and rod, with the interior so tightly compressed that it is unlikely that any moisture or material will pass through it.