R34 vs. R38

Rhum (R34D - a sister ship to Raasay) and Calico Martlet (R38) in Lossiemouth. You get a lot with that extra 4 feet ...

Mainsheet

So. I had this cunning plan.

As R34 owners know, the mainsheet horse is right across the companionway. This is (on the whole) less inconvenient than it sounds, but one of the difficulties it creates is that the sheet itself bears heavily on the sprayhood when your running or reaching.

I thought it might be convenient to have another anchor for the sheet - possibly on the coaming - so that I could keep it away from the sprayhood on a long run or broad reach. I bought a couple of substantial ring bolts, and had been examining some position options. I also had a bit of a problem figuring out which bits of the underside of the port coaming (behind the galley, so less accessible) I could get to.

While doing this, I tried positioning the mainsheet to see what the best position might be - and found there was another problem. While I could keep the mainsheet away from the sprayhood, I couldn't find a position that didn't keep it clear of the top guard wire. My plan wasn't going to work.

The only place I could avoid fouling something was to anchor the mainsheet where it passed outside of everything else - on the edge of the deck, leading it under the guard wires.

Which drew my attention to these U-bolts, installed by a previous owner. I had been trying to figure out what they might be for ...