I got back from the holiday and sitting outside my house was an oddly-shaped box. It was addressed to Lawrence Broadway (my first name and my street name as my last name, though Broadway is not my street). At least the address was fine. I opened it up excitedly as I caught word from CLC that my sails would be due any day. And sure enough, here they are. I wasn't even going to order them but noticed that the price kept going up double digits percentage points every year. From payment to doorstop was about 5 weeks.
They're really, really nice. I splurged for the tanbark deluxe and glad I did. It has a nice little window with a telltale in the jib.
The main has two reef points and another little window.
The grommets and hanks are really well made.
I can't be more thrilled by them. Well done, Mr. Fowler!
I also ordered the sailing hardware kit from CLC. I took the list that was posted on the site and sourced every item but CLC was still very competitive. One thing I really wanted, though, was an upgraded mainsheet set. The base with the kit had a working load of just 350lb and the ratchet that came with it was barely more than that, plus didn't come with a cleat. Now, I know the warnings about cleating mainsheets in small boats but I'm confident that I won't abuse this too much.
When I asked, the salesperson said they actually already upgraded the base as part of the standard kit, but I'd be upcharged for the cleating ratchet. They hadn't updated their website at the time but it partly explains why the price went up so much over the last couple years. In case anyone is interested, I'm getting the Harken 460 base with a Harken 091. The original kit was a Harken 010 base with a Harken 009 ratchet.
This should be here by the end of September, just in time for a mad rush to get everything installed before Columbus Day.
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