When passagemaking weight can become a real factor in deciding what you can and cannot take onboard with you.
You have to strike a balance between overloading your boat with so much stuff she loses performance and won't sail well, and carrying enough gear to get you to your destinations safely with your yacht in good shape, the crew well fed and in good health and without losing the sailing abilities of your boat.
Spare shrouds and stays which are weighty and difficult to stow (large coils), therefore rarely are included in the inventory of a cruising vessel. However, if you lose one on passage it presents a critical situation which must be fixed immediately. It is a tricky procedure to jury rig one whilst at sea.
A company called Colligo have come up with a lightweight solution called the Emergency Shroud Kit and is an option to be considered.
The kit comes in a sealed plastic bag containing enough 7mm Dynex line to replace a 50ft, quarter-inch stay, complete with a line terminator ready-spliced to one end. Another line terminator is provided with splicing instructions, together with 20ft of lashing line and a short length of tube for chafe protection.
Colligo reckon a shroud can be replaced in about 15 minutes. Replacement rigging is so bulky and heavy that many boats fail to carry it - this sounds like a practical, lightweight solution.
Having had to replace a forestay in port (Galapagos Islands) and a intermediate shroud at sea during my voyage, this kit certainly strkes a chord with me.
You can read more about these episodes in my ebook 'Voyage of the Little Ship 'Tere Moana' downloadable from my website http://www.sailboat2adventure.com
Reproduced courtesy Colligo Marine www.colligomarine.com
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