root wrote:
gday

I have "owned - been owned by" my Westerly 22
more than ten years ( and an Albin 25 ):

She loves 'small craft warnings' and, in those
moments, looks for multihulls to toy with...

A gentleman wrote me, '...change the cockpit
drain hoses, they can sink your boat. I know.'
These hoses were getting rotty looking and felt
strange. Changed those hoses and six chiro-
practic sessions later, I am OK.

Twin keels are good for drying out on sandy
beaches, trailers and such. Boulders and
large rocks seem likely to hole the unwary -
look around while the water drains out.

A mahogany skeg can be badly damaged
by rocks and moorings, I know.

Do not even think of anchoring where the
water is thin, no matter what the local know
it alls say, until you have checked your
landing spot with your own eyes. And
thought seriously about what you have
seen.

Live and learn, or drown. ( Thank you, RAH )

It is time for me to check chainplates
and all rigging. Try to styrene melt my
3 section masthead light together.
Replace a sail, upgrade winches, make
better anchor mounts ( CQR35, Danforth40
and Fortress14. ) And fabricate singlehander
mast stepping hardware.

Twin keel Westerly boats put a lot of
metal under the grp hull. Lightning
could be a problem. I need to run a
very heavy cable, without bends, to
a keel. I need to rethink my Dynaplate
sintered bronze radio ground. I have
read that they boil water explosively
when carrying a lightning strike. A
large hole is blasted into the under-
water hull.....

I will consider a larger Westerly, Valiant
or whichever, if I decide to cruise.
I do know that a slower boat needs
more consumables, period.

Good luck,
Bligh (Bill) (Captain)