It started at 10am, but we know to get there before 10 as you have to get there early and get through the gate sharpish in order to get any bargains. By the time we got there around 9:40 there was already a large queue.
Eventually after walking about half the stalls we found a stall with cheap rope. Jim was already bantering "there you go Mark, its cheap rope. The only downside is its got pink on it!" It was marked up at £10 and the guy said I could have it for £5. I offered £4 and he took it. Not a bad start. While I was paying, Jim was already rummaging in the bin of pulleys. "There you go Mark, he's got pulleys too!". And Jim was right, the guy have a couple of small double blocks, one with a becket. Just what I wanted. The guy on the stall asked for £5 for the pair and £2.50 each isn't bad at all. I got the pair for £4.
So I had my kicker sorted for less than a tenner. I did look for a couple of fiddle blocks for the downhaul, but we couldn't see any decent ones of the right size.
While Jim was in the loo I managed to bag a long shackle for the jib.
And that was it. The guy with the cheap paints wasn't there nor was the guy that sells the rope pockets. So there wasn't anything else I needed. There were a couple of old brass portholes, but people were wanting too much for them. I would have liked to buy a decent mooring buoy but again they were too dear.
So, once the tide was right I fitted the new kicker. Here it is:
Now with double blocks I may be able to put some more tension into the sail.
The new shackle has raised the jib about 4 inches:
Hopefully now the jib will clear the pulpit. There's a twist in the strap at the bottom of the jib so I might need to fit a short twisted shackle at the bottom to turn the long shackle through 90 degrees.
Unfurling the jib on the mooring was a bit fraught in today's wind, but its done. I just need to try it all out.
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