The first stays that were put up were the starboard lowers. There were many reasons for this, as they are the lowest stays on the mast and served as a great demonstration stay to the owner of what he was expected to do. I was able to demonstrate how to use all the gear to climb the mast and how to remove and install the stays from the mast. After a brief climb and explanation, the owner was able to use the gear and do the rest of the work himself. Once the lowers were connected, I tied them to their deadeyes and tied the excess out of the way for the mean time.
With the mast fully supported on the port side and the jib halyard set to the starboard lower chainplate, along with the cap shrouds in place, the owner climbed the mast to remove the seizing from the tips and prepare to remove and install the new cap shrouds.
The plan was to do all the stays on the starboard side and then begin working on the port side. This minimized the number of times we would need to move the jib halyard during the installation process.
