The bottom has been stripped, a barrier coat applied and first coat of anti-foul is on.

Rig inspection complete - need new fitting for the solent stay - the original contraption has rusted out. NEB are putting their finest on it...

Meanwhile, the mystery of the weak SSB signal seems likely to have been solved - the connection between the automatic tuner and the boat's ground plane (earth) is made with a short length of copper foil - foil is used because the RF signals flow on the surface of the conductor - so thin wide strip is best... except this thin wide strip had corroded to such a level that when I removed it, it fell apart in my hands!

New triple thickness foil has been applied - hopefully I'll now be able to send and receive emails with more success...