Topic: Tip re: rigging and winter
I choose to take my mast down for the winter primarily because it gives me a chance to inspect the standing rigging for wear, damage, cracks etc. A simple way to find what otherwise may be invisible cracks in swage fittings, spreader stumps and castings such as the ball joints at the head of a Contessa mast is to wipe them with a bit of iodine. If there is a crack in the metal the iodine will stain where the crack is. The crack will appear as a thin brown line.