Let's stop mucking about and REALLY spend some money ... !

Bespoke the sailmaker today on the telephonic instrument

Mostly, he's happy with the measurements we supplied but he's very very sure that we've under-specified the mainsail luff length. In fact, he's so sure we've got it wrong that he wants to make it a whole foot longer and he says if it's wrong then they'll put it right at their expense!

Can't really argue with that. Especially not when it turns out that one of his first jobs as a young sailmaker was making the original sails for the Islander 23 back in 1967 or 1968 or so. Highly likely he made the first sails for Brigantia back in 1969 then

With that detail settled, the main, 140% genoa and cruising chute plus the new mainsail cover measurements will be jotted down on the back of a fag packet and chalked out on the loft floor ... OK so they don't do it that way anymore, it's all confusers and digital cutting machines and things these days!

Whatever the production method, the new sails should be ready in about 10 days time which will hopefully be just in time for Rik to pick them up and bring them with him on the maintenance weekend and should certainly be in time to get them delivered if not

Of course, the downside is that I've only paid the deposit so far and there's a big bill to settle when the time comes. Oh well, it's only money, it's not as if it's important or anything