Don’t fix sails with SIKAFLEX and adhesive patches- if you can!
The main had suffer a big rip in transit between Tikopia and Anuta: the stainless metal shackle attaching the sheets broke, and as the sail flogged heavily in the squall the sharp metal edge ripped 60cm at the base of the headsail in a T shape, one width of sail material! Without a zigzag industrial sewing machine on board, hard to fix the sail with a proper window patch so I did a band aid patch with thin material and sikaflex over the adhesive repair patch.
The job held well for a couple of months, but with the heavy forces of beating, the patches recently started shearing away because the adhesive on the patch did not stick to the sikaflex! I should have used clean sail cloth rather than adhesive patch, and now here I am: spent 6 hours removing the sikaflex from either side of the sail to reapply the patch!! See how it holds this time
The usual wear and tear on the galvanized rigging needs a bit of attention, sanding back to remove the rust in every spot and re-paint with a metal priming paint. It worked out a few days later that even after the rust removed, a decent metal primer was the go as rust reappeared through the paint!
Other jobs that were neglected before the charter due to lack of time: some stainless fitting were not insulated properly from the aluminium, creating galvanic reaction between dissimilar metals. This one needs soaking for a week or more in freshwater and vinegar!
