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Any decent sailmaker can make a main with a  boltrope and  a shelf foot  and  that  allows the draught to be changed as if it was loose footed.  The amount a conventional sail's draught can be changed is considerable anyway and if there isn't enough adjustment range a flattening reef is another option.

A loose footed main is likely to be more highly stressed at the clew than a conventional one.

*YES*.  On our boat, the cooling water, fuel shut-off valve and engine battery switch all get turned off together, without any other distractions in-between, and the key removed from the battery switch. They are all turned on together as well. Woe betide the 'helpful' crew member who does one of these tasks without completing the other two.

Even so there have been a few occasions where the seacock was closed to check the filter and never got reopened . . . Not good!

Also I forgot to mention above that in really heavy weather all unnecessary seacocks should be CLOSED.

Well I recently treated myself to a webbing mast climbing ladder that goes up the sail track.  It obviously wont be any use if the reason for the climb is the sail is jammed up, but it makes routine climbs a piece of cake.  You still need a harness and someone managing your safety line on a winch, but that's a single line that is nearly unloaded so no crew muscle required.

I'd only *ever* use a mast winch for climbing in an emergency.  You should have enough turning blocks and at least one halyard long enough to lead to a primary winch. It gets the winchman out from under you so if anything *does* go wrong there is still one person uninjured able to call emergency services and give first aid. Also the bigger winch gives better control and requires less effort, and the horizontal displacement lets the winchman see where you are with respect to the masthead and other mast fittings. Together these factors vastly reduce the chance of a mishap.

If you do have to go up the stick in harbour by 'traditional' means, and its a year or more since the last time, plan on cleaning all nav lights and changing their bulbs while you are up there, and also a top to bottom inspection of the rig, re-doing any anti-chafe tape on spreader ends etc. on the way back down.

I doubt mid boom sheeting offers any performance benefit whatsoever over boom end sheeting with a powerful vang (kicking strap) led aft.  Its definitely harder to trim as the loss of leverage compared to boom end sheeting means a more powerful purchase is needed and extra blocks means a lot more friction.  Also the boom would need to be internally sleeved to handle the load or even completely replaced.  Add the need for a heavier track  car and brackets and the price is going to be excessive.   

It takes the mainsheet away from the helm which is crazy from a shorthanded sailing point of view and no dodger is going to make you extremely reluctant to actually use the new toy for any serious windward work . . . ;-(

Ok, first time round 'Pro' assistance can be well worth paying for, but you need to check and inspect *everything* you can before handing the job over to them, and make sure you observe and take notes.

Before my mast was first stepped, I spotted a cracked tang on the masthead fitting for the forestay that the rigger had missed when preparing the mast for storage the previous season and also a toggle below the furling drum with the wrong sized pin that had obviously been that way for a number of seasons.  The toggle was replaced to match the hole size at the bottom of the furler and the one on the stay plate on the bow and the masthead fitting was reinforced and welded.

Inspect the standing rigging as best as you can. It really needs to be off the mast to do it right.  Wearing heavy LEATHER gloves, coil each stay in a fairly large diameter coil and look for 'meathooks' (ends of broken wires).  Any found is an instant fail for that stay AND the same stay on the opposite side which must be assumed to be the same age and had the same wear.  If more than one stay has a broken strand, replace the lot.  Inspect terminal fittings closely. any visible damage or if bent, condemn the stay (unless its a replaceable fitting like a Norseman or Sta-lock).  Remember, wire rigging can look perfect until you bend it and a broken wire end pops out.

Check all blocks and sheaves, lubricate where appropriate and make sure that at least two masthead halyards are in good enough condition to trust with your life when you have to go up the mast.

I also replaced the VHF aerial, mount and lead (they'd lost the wind hawk off it and the mount was loose) and cleaned the lenses, contacts and connections + fitted new bulbs toall the lights up the mast.   Replace the VHF cable if the old one is over 5 years old or of uncertain age or if there is any evidence of wear, damage or corrosion.  The aerial itself is probably OK if it appears to be in good condition and can be swapped out  in 1/2 an hour from a bosun's chair.    Lights should be tested using a 12V battery (or lead from a car cigarette lighter socket) and a lead with clips you can connect to the wires or plugs and an in-line 5A fuse to protect against shorts,

If you know how to use a multimeter (and every skipper should), measure the resistance of every up-mast circuit at the plug or connector  (from the (switched) 12V feed to the 0V return) with the new bulbs installed and record it in your maintenance log.  Its a big help when fault-finding in future to know you *DONT* need to climb the mast!  Also check the resistance to the mast itself.  There should be no circuit. Any under a couple of Megohms has faulty insulation and needs fixing (except the VHF cable which may be grounded to the masthead via the aerial mount, If so it should read under 20 ohms to the mast and no circuit with the connector removed from the aerial and mount.  Record all wire colours, plug pin-outs and connections in your maintenance log.

Masthead instruments cannot be easily checked.  If you can disconnect the masthead unit easily, the cable can be checked wire by wire for shorts and continuity or if you can get the mast heel over your coach roof, you can hook them up and do a functional check.

You are paying  these guys by the hour and if they find any problems will be paying them for repairs.  They will obviously do a standard inspection of anything they rig, but will NOT do preventative maintenance unless you ask for it and having them do everything wont get you familiar with your rig which you need to be for your own safety.  Its worth paying them to check and service (if required) the furler.

Got any photos of Contessas being lifted in slings from a single spreader bar?
A vertical line from the crane hook *must* pass through the C.G.

I don't think you need this info to build a cradle though unless you are putting wheels on it.   You want enough spare strength so that any support can take the full load with the boat tilted say 10 degrees so yo have enough safety margin for bad storms ashore which means you aren't too concerned with the fore/aft load distribution.

You know the CG is somewhere above the bottom of the keel, presumably around 1/3 the way back or so because Jeremy designed the C026 to stand on its keel and is too smart to overload the hollow back end of the keel.  Should be close enough for government work :-)

To remove it I'm fairly sure you don't have to remove the water pump, BUT you *MUST* get the pump shaft to engage properly with the drive gear when you refit it if you don't want to do damage so you'll almost certainly need to take it off anyway.  I suppose you *could* try and engage it with the impeller out and pump cover off, but as its seal to the timing case is an O ring, you'd do better to take it off rather than trash the pump cover gasket.   Refitting is supposed to be done with the pump cover off, but if you make sure the gear is visually aligned with the pump shaft, gently twisting the whole pump will get it to engage and then you can align the holes.

I hope you still have the old pump to refit and check the linkages haven't been distorted.  You can bet you'll need a timing case gasket if you have to go in there. If you do open it,  replace any shaft seals that show any signs of weeping oil.  My camshaft seal was bad and it always had oil on the hand start spindle.

The problem is that the common failure mode for the  one piece mild steel injection elbow is for the inner sleeve to pinhole near the top and let cooling water impinge on the exhaust passage in the head which sooner or later rusts through to the pushrod galleries and meanwhile the exhaust valve and seat are suffering badly.  I have a head that looked fine until I started digging the crud out of this passage and found it had holed through.  The passage will have to be machined out and a tubular insert brazed in to fix it.  The OEM head was a package deal with new valves already fitted and as I was running short of time I didn't proceed with fixing the old one.

I'd concentrate on avoiding the whole problem by improving the injection elbow.  It shouldn't be too difficult to get a two piece one made up to the same pattern as the OEM one only with the inner sleeve on a separate thinner flange that the flange on the outer tube bolts on top of.  You'll need to talk to a good custom muffler shop for advice on what's going to be most corrosion resistant.

The OEM elbow is definably a wear item and needs a close inspection using a torch and a dental mirror annually.  Also it's crazy to lay the engine up with either the exhaust or the water hose attached to the elbow.  It really needs both removed and fogging oil or similar applied then bag it up in plastic with a fresh silica gel dessicant sachet up the elbow.  Same treatment to the inlet manifold after removing and washing out the foam air filter and make sure both valves are closed and you'll not be needing a new head.   

Water pump problems are a whole other issue.  If it starts weeping it will sooner or later cause serious corrosion of the mild steel oil line directly below it  and then its a matter of luck whether you catch it in time or have it blow under way and seize the engine.  If this line starts corroding have a replacement made up in copper pipe, DONT buy the OEM one! The banjo ends can be reused and brazed on the new line.  Also a sustained drip can result in excessive corrosion of the timing cover and possible loss of the thread in the lower bolt hole of the water pump mounting.  If mine deteriorates further I'll have to get it welded and re-tap the hole.  USE DURALAC on the water pump mounting bolts and I've cut a drip shield from thin polythene sheet that goes under the pump base flange to keep any future weeps off the timing cover and oil line.

The OEM engine mounts are also a disaster waiting to happen and priced like they were gold plated. After-market ones are available which are fuel and oil resistant, fully captive so the engine can't break loose in a knockdown  and also are more compact and make it easier to fit the engine in.  They also are around 1/4 the price!  In the USA an adaptor plate is available to match the OEM mount bolt holes and height for an exact drop in replacement, but I chose to rebuild the beds rather than import a set.