And a journey goes, step by step.

I had to remove my gooseneck slide from the mast(in a storage shed in town), and order a 'Tack fitting' built by Shaefer. I bought it through Vela Sailing and it came in about a week.

The fitting cost about 140 bucks for their largest tack fitting. I get that, it's just a strap of SS bent, shaped, drilled, but why would you do something like that for less than a 140 bucks? I wouldn't.

I needed the 1/2" Shaefer tack fitting to fit the bolt in my gooseneck fitting. But it's more than just a bolt, it's fitted to a SS nut which had a SS bale welded to it in 1961. The bale/nut, shackles to both the first mains sheet turning block, and the 2 part downhaul.

So naturally, the Tack fittings added thickness means the bolt is too short(to be cotter pinned as well). Get a longer bolt? Sure, if you can find one that has threads cut the same as the 1961 bolt/bale fitting(Danish?).

No worries, Joel down the hill will build a new bolt the new length, and cut threads that fit the old 1961 nut/bale.

The journey isn't over yet.