Anchor
I rigged the anchor davit with a block-and-tackle and hook. Then, I fastened a wire hoop on the head of the anchor. The hook catches the wire hoop, and it does a good job of lifting and dropping the anchor without damaging the Merva’s sides. It’s taken me a while to set up the procedure, but it works. The Bruce anchor works well on Merva.
Sole
I wanted to refinish the sole in the forepeak but thought the planks ran under the bunk and supported it. So, I thought I wouldn’t be able to get them out without major deconstruction, but to my surprise they weren’t supporting the bunk and came out quite easily. Under the sole was a lot of debris, I think it was left from the rebuild done years ago by A&G. Cleaning it up gave me a chance to inspect planks, floors, and frames. They all looked in good condition. I also got a look at the internal ballast, very funny I thought. They used anything made of lead, including old pipe. But it works and has been in place for 90 years.
Clock
My friend Peter Marshall gave me a clock that rings the hours of the watch and is quite lovely. I’ve mounted it in the wheelhouse.
