The Voyage of the Swan
 
Denizens of the channel marker buoy for Ventura Harbor.
Tuning the new rigging. There was a lot less stretch with the 9/32” wire. I only had to put a half turn in each upper’s turnbuckle to finish the job.
Rhonda sails by the jib luff as I tune the rig.
Removing the interior grab rails to get under the headliner for the staysail track installation.
The newly fitted starboard staysail track and block.
My brother Dan joins us for dinner. Without his unselfish help, the boat and our dream of ocean cruising could never have been realized.
The Monitor is lashed to the stern with rope in order to steady it for measuring, leveling and bolting up.
The completed Monitor install.
The Monitor sailed the boat perfectly the first time we engaged it. We named it “Jack.”
A visitor in the marina.
The new forestay, made up from Hi-Mod terminals, is attached to the tack fitting (9/32” 316SS).
The new running backstays, made from T-900 with thimbles eye-spliced at the tangs. We will tension them with the weather sheet winch.
The Swan is now a cutter. The staysail is raised for the first time since it was made five months ago.
The jib and staysail working together. We measured a whole knot increase in speed after setting the staysail.
A blue whale that floated ashore north of Ventura. Very sad.
Outfitting: Further on Down the List
We completed the re-rig, then we static tuned and sail tuned the new shrouds and stays. I could definitely feel the reduction in stretch with the 9/32” wire. Then, we set about completing the conversion to a cutter rig.
We had already installed the tack fitting for the forestay, so we went to work on the install of the track for the staysail sheets on the coachroof. What a job! It involved removing the interior grab rails so we could fit the through bolts for the track under the headliner. Fortunately, we were armed with the step-by-step advice of my good friend, Dave Pomerantz, and we completed the job with little guesswork.
We had to wait for the T-900 rope for our running backstays and a cone for the Hi-Mod fitting for the forestay to complete the cutter conversion, so we pulled the Monitor windvane out of its box in the forepeak and spent four days bolting it up to the stern. Measure, drill, level, measure, drill, cut, bed, bolt and tighten. It took longer than I thought it would, but it is a beautiful piece of machinery that will save many long hours at the helm. We took it for a sail and it worked perfectly the first time we engaged it, a testament to the wonderful balance of the Pacific Seacraft 34 and Bill Crealock’s design genius. We named it “Jack” after our two favorite Jacks, Jack Moseley and Jack Knapp, two sailing buddies who have passed on.
Finally, with all the parts for the forestay and runners, we put it all together and raised the staysail for the first time. It fit beautifully.
 
Outfitting Pages 1 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9