Blue Mistress has moved out of the marina onto a trot mooring and will be hauled out next week.
The image is a good study in comparative yacht design. (Blue Mistress is the boat in the middle if this is the first time you’ve seen this blog).
Everything has been taken out of her, except flares, warps and fenders and an anchor on the foredeck.
It’s interesting to see she is a little down at the stern. This is the inboard engine which was added later.
She originally had a large outboard on the stern which must have weighed her down further.
She sails better with weight forward.
This is a major refit, which is planned to take six weeks or so. Among other things, all the deck fittings are coming off and being refitted and the deck recoated. There are some annoying leaks on some of the fittings and, rather than only seal those and wait for others to open up, we are “starting again”
Fittings missing from the coach roof are grab rails.
When I stripped the lining from the cabin deckhead, I discovered the original holes for the grab-rail fittings which have been filled in. My natural inclination is to replace them – safety being the most obvious reason, but I don’t know what the best design would be. Elegant carved teak is not the Blue Mistress style. What are the alternatives?
Beyond Steeple Point 
I’ve got some stainless steel grab rails. I’ll send you a photo so you can see if they would look ok. I have to hang onto them when it’s rough if I want to go forward. I tend to end up crawling along the deck anyhow at times like that and they are the right height for that.