Keys Rigging

Keys Rigging was here most of the day Monday replacing the gull striker shroud and tuning the rigging.  We had a couple of other issues with bolts instead of clevis pins being used and they replaced those as well.  Good group and very reasonable.  We decided to pay for assurance instead of always wondering if we were going to lose another mast.

For those who don't know.  The dolphin striker is used on the bowsprit of sailboats to help with distributing angled loads for the sprit.  Picture below.  Rich (Snow Goose) told us that in the old days, there would be a harpoon tip added to the dolphin striker which would impale a dolphin who decided to jump in your bow wave and provide fresh meat for the crew.

When cruising cats started coming out, some wise guy decided to call the appendage  a gull striker.  This is because it faces skyward.  Now, everyone knows what you mean when you say gull striker.  It was explained that it actually forces a concave shape to the aluminum cross member and that when you load up the rig, it brings it straight.

Just came down from the top of the mast.  We finally have a functional anchor light.  We bought a neat product from a manufacturer in Key West, Stektronics.  It is a low cost LED anchor light and the best part is the boards are replaceable.  That is what makes it unique and appealing to me.

 Dolphin Striker is the steel rod pointing down towards the water.

 Certainly not as glamorous and the blunt top makes it hard to impale anything.  The gull striker is the bracket in front of the roller furler.  We had the steel cable replaced due to a crack forming in one of the toggles.