Updates from down under and a new backstay solution

Sorry for the delay getting this out, but Margie writes us from down below with an interesting backstay solution for more control.

Hi Thomas
Hope you are well and enjoying the winter break. We are in the middle of summer here and we have been sailing in a number of regattas for mixed results. In the stronger winds ( 20 to 30 knots) we have been struggling against boats we beat in light winds. ( even with 6 on board)
We have had problems flattening the main sail and have found pulling on the back stay a real
hard task for little results. Firstly we added another block to the back stay rope (as we noticed
you and others had done) but we still found it hard to pull on the rope. We then filed back the edge of the cockpit cover as the block near the traveler was rubbing against it when you pulled on the rope. Still we had problems We have now changed the block arrangement to make a continuous rope system. Adding to two single fixed bullet blocks to the back plate and fitting an extra pivoting block has fixed the problem. The triple block does not move or rub against the cockpit cover any more. The ropes run to each side of the boat and can be pulled on by the
helm with one hand. Even though we have reduced the ratio from 24 to 1 to 20 to 1 we can
now flatten the main at the top of the sail significantly more now and
easily

Here is a picture of Margies new backstay solution. Looks quite interesting, and everything that makes boat-handling easier is worth considering.

Margie also informs us that pictures have been sent by the local dealer to the factory as a suggested change.

I have thought about a new backstay solution for Silverminken to make it even easier for shorthanded sailing. Maybe this solution is the optimal one? I'll certainly ask the Norwegian dealer what they think of it as well!

Thanks Margie!