⛵️🇧🇷 Solo Sailing to Brazil - treating rusty shroud anchors

Passage to Brazil

Preparations for a solo passage from east Africa to South Africa and on to Brazil, across the Atlantic Ocean. Subscribe for daily updates.

The mast is held up with 8 shrouds (4 on each side) attached to the deck in three anchor points. On a steel boat, "rust never sleeps" as the saying goes. Some of these attachment points have rusted over the past year and need to be treated.

(The anchors would be called chainplates on a wooden or fibreglass sailboats).

1. make sure mast stays secure - slacken only one shroud at a time
2. chip and brush off the rust
3. apply rust converter - 3 coats - converts the iron oxide (rust) to an inert black, ferric tannate
4. paint with 2-part epoxy or acrylic paint (available in Tanga) - three coats
5. allow to completely cure - 48 hours
6. clean threads of the turnbuckle
7. reassemble turnbuckle using anti-seize paste or at least grease
8. reattach shroud wire to turnbuckle and anchor
9. tighten the turnbuckle -"lefty loosy, righty-tighty - apply correct tension

#sailboat #boatmaintenance #sailing #bluewater