Almost 75 years ago, between Mauritius and Port Elizabeth on Boleh’s epic voyage home, the decision was taken to abandon Robin Kilroy’s controversial wishbone booms and replace them with full-length sail battens. Page 13 of Robin’s book ‘Boleh’ shows the design of these booms, based on scale model trials, and page 131 describes their alarming characteristics and demise – much to the relief of Boleh’s crew! Robin’s reflections on the failure of his innovative and forward-looking design are at page 208.
Boleh’s HLF-funded restoration included replicas of the wishbones and over the winter these have at long last been taken onboard and evaluated. The result was a difficult decision to ‘draw stumps’ for the time being, as the rig proved significantly heavier than Boleh’s standard rig. Mark and his team did manage to raise it part way (see photos) but judged hoisting it fully an unacceptable risk to mast, yard and standing rigging. Over the Summer we will be assessing weight reducing options – Robin thought light alloy might be the answer for his ‘Chinese Rig’!
