NOSE JOB: Bowsprit Completed

Lunacy's new nose is now firmly attached to her face. I went up to Maine Yacht Center a while back to see the surgeon (i.e., the welder) at work and came back feeling a bit worried that maybe all this was an awful mistake. Not that the sprit wouldn't be functional; just that it would look all wrong. Lunacy isn't really a pretty boat, but she does have a certain no-nonsense aesthetic. I was afraid in the end her enhanced proboscis would make her look silly somehow.

I finally went back to see the finished job earlier this week and was much relieved. Unfortunately, the lighting in this photo here makes it hard to see her new profile clearly. But I think it looks pretty damn cool. I particularly like the way the line of the sprit flows into Lunacy's reverse sheer line.

Here are some other shots up close, where you can see how the bow pulpit has been cut back and reconfigured to accommodate sails flying forward of the bow:

There's still a bit to do before Lunacy is swimming again. The guys at MYC will be adding some hardware to the sprit, putting new winches on the mast, modifying the masthead a bit, putting on a new wind sensor, and painting the deck in the next week or so. Plus, there's yet another job that has cropped up. Next week I'll be putting on a new headsail furler with Scott Alexander from Selden Mast. Seems the bearings on my old Profurl unit are pretty well shot and new parts are no longer available.

That's how it is in this boat maintenance game: two steps forward, one back. But eventually you do get somewhere.