The wind vane of the Hydrovane steering system looked like being a pain to assemble, so it has languished in its box until today, when ai decided to give it a go.

It is a nylon envelope which is stretched taut over an aluminium (English spelling) frame, and the open end is then laced up “like a corset”, as the instructions say.

I followed the instructions (an unusual event) – liberal sprayings of silicone spray playing their part – and have almost finished.

The stubby vane is now below decks, left overnight to stretch to fit. I will remove the zip ties in the morning and tidy up the corset strings.