Back to Blue Mistress.

The refit proceeds and the quality of the finished work so far is excellent.

Stern locker hatches.

Four problem with the old ones:

1. The wood frame was beginning to rot.

2. To open them, the tiller had to be moved out of the way, which was a nuisance at sea.

3. They could only be opened so far before getting caught on the (divided) backstay – so had to be held back with shot cord.

4. They leaked.

I asked for a solution that we could sit on and would also take my full weight if stood on.

It also needs to be shallow enough to allow the Autohelm, which stretches horizontally from a deck fitting on the starboard coaming into an attachment below the tiller, to move freely.

Richard has come up with a solution that seems to covers all the above.

The new lids are heavy and robust and, when finished, will seal neatly over the new lipping around the lockers.

Because they are not hinged, they will be permanently made fast to the boat from internal eyebolts.

They have to be put to the test, of course, but I am delighted with the result which is practical, skillfully fitted and has added considerably to the appearance of the boat.