So, there’s no need to panic at this point. The bottom foil is free again and the top foil has been removed so we can cut it down to the new length. The other foils are fastened together as they should be. All appears to be well.

We just have to re-measure everything again. We had cut the top foil down to the same length as our old foil since this had no reason to change. But since we were now assembling the headstay using Norseman fittings, we’d need to shorten the top foil a bit as it lies just below the fitting (whereas it goes over the top swage for our original type of fitting). Unfortunately, the Harken manual is not a lot of help here as all the measurements for foil lengths it references assume you know your pin-to-pin stay length and are starting from scratch. We have to reverse-engineer the whole thing.

To complicate matters a bit, we had looked at some old photos we had of how the furling drum was attached and found that the bottom toggle stud was not screwed up into the drum (which is essentially a large turnbuckle) anywhere near where it should be (there is a mark on the threads to indicate how far they need to be screwed into the drum). Since our forestay seemed plenty tight, we could only figure that it simply was not long enough. We decide that we should lengthen our forestay about 1.5 inches to make sure there is plenty of length to secure the drum.

To make a long story short, we lay out all the fittings with the foils and old and new cables on the dock. In order to accommodate the top Norseman fitting, we calculate how far the top foil will have to be shortened so it sits underneath the fitting just right. Then we add 1.5 inches back for the additional forestay length. Then we put everything away and try not to think about it for a few days.

Several days later, we lay everything out again. We re-measure.

Finally, the weekend rolls around when we can really get some work done. First job of the day: we recheck our measurements once again. Our numbers still make sense so we cut a few inches off the top of the top foil, then Loctite it back on to the top connector. Before we forget, we Loctite the extra 9th connector — the one that began this whole drama — and push it down inside the top foil so it is 1 inch from the top, per the Harken manual.

Norseman time. We have three sets of directions for attaching the Norseman fittings: the directions in the package, more directions downloaded from Navtec’s website, and finally Harken has more instructions in their manual for assembling the fittings. Luckily, all three sources pretty much agree as to the technique to use. Our last boat, Pelican, had Sta-Lok fittings so we were familiar with the whole idea but it had been a few years.

The Norseman assembly went well, though reforming the wires around the cone was fairly comical. Three times in a row, just as Michael got the wires all lined up around the cone (the part that sits inside the outer wire strands, over the core bunch of wires) he’d go to adjust one last wire and BOING the whole thing would untwist and he’d have to start all over. I would have taken a photo but was too busy laughing.

Once the wires were arranged, we were careful to screw the fittings together just hand tight so the threads wouldn’t bind. We unscrewed the two pieces, checked the wires inside. The cone was seated, wires neatly arranged around it, so we filled the fitting with Life Caulk, added more Loctite to the threads, and screwed it together a final time (checking to make sure the sealant oozed out the top of the fitting around the wire). Success!

After one final measurement of the cable, Michael hack-sawed the cable at the end to the proper length. Then we proceeded in the same way with the lower fitting (now a bit more experienced, this one wasn’t quite so entertaining). We Loctited the lower foil into place and attached the feeder.

The stay is almost done!!

We fasten a spare halyard to the top of the foiled stay, then carefully raise it up to the top of the mast. Michael gets hoisted next and he fastens the toggle to the mast fitting along with the cotter pin. So far so good!

Back on deck, we screw the drum onto the bottom Norseman stud fitting, then fasten the very bottom toggle to the bow chainplate. As the threads in the two fittings are different diameters, it takes a few tries to get the top and bottom studs to screw evenly into the drum. We do finally get it however, and tighten the drum down so both fittings are even and the forestay is tight. Amazing! Our cable is not too short and not too long, what more could you ask? Even better, I don’t think we forgot any parts this time.

After admiring our re-assembled roller-furling unit, we drink champagne. One stay down, 12 more to go. Cheers!