With a date set for the mast and down-rigger install, I have been working just about every evening on finishing the wiring, rigging, and about a dozen other little details that are still on the list. My strategy is to close out my to do list starting at the top of the rig, and working my way down. That way if I don't get everything finished, at least I won't have to be working at the top of the mast too much once it's installed. That said I'm sure to forget something up there and end up at the masthead at some point after everything is installed. Due to the complexity of the design and the relatively short overall height height (about 26ft to the anchor light) , I've decided not to mount the mast in a tabernacle (which would allow the mast to be lowered in place on a pivot at the base). Any future mast removal will require a lot of disconnections and a crane (or some fancy rigging on deck).
I finally got around to getting some proper hollow fid (a device for splicing line) and taught myself how to splice double braid. I can splice simple three strand stuff in my sleep, but the double braid is not nearly as intuitive. It took about half a dozen tries before I felt confident enough in my splices to put them in service. I'm using double braid for the halyard, boom-lift, and down-rigger up hauls. I'm also using hollow braid Spectra line for the working top-guys on the down riggers. These support the down rigger poles when they are deployed and carry the full load of the paravane stabilizers, so must be very strong and low stretch- perfect application for Spectra type line.
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