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13th January 2009

My yacht is Paxos – Sail no. 77. Based at Mykonos. I have been receiving your emails and getting the newsletters for the last couple of years. I originally registered with Gordon Fitzsimmons. I think the website is great and I look at it frequently. I am very glad that you have taken it over. You are doing a terrific job!

Despite owning the boat 3 years, I have been unable to raise and lower my keel. I got it up when I went on to the lift at Mykonos by them gently putting the boat down onto a trailer while I took up the slack on the winch, and reversing the procedure when I put it back in the water – but that is a very expensive exercise and I would not like to do it more than once every 2-3 years. There are no impediments such as barnacles etc but the pulley wheels at the top seem to be jammed (salt water, age oxidation of the alloy) and I don’t know how to sort this out as access is very limited. One suggestion was to take the mast and tabernacle off completely. I am interested in doing the Worlds at Easter but nervous about sailing around and consequently consider trailing the boat but I need to get the keel sorted out.

Any suggestions?

Regards

Mark Smeddle

By the way for some historical perspective my Father – John Smeddle – was a keen sailor and won line honours in the 1979 South Atlantic race to Uruguay in a Ketch called Kwa Heri. (When Rio boycotted SA) He built Mainstay with sponsorship for the 1982 race but was not quite ready for the race and had to sell it to Momentum Life who came 2nd to Apple MacIntosh in 1985. By contrast I am an enthusiastic but careful day sailor but would like to spend some more time on the water and get more experience.