Compared to building the hull, or working out the rigging, or actually sailing Goldberry, a boat cover doesn't seem like much to talk about. Well.....

For the entire 2006 sailing season the boat was covered with a pair of cheap blue tarps from the big orange box store. They kept the sun off the boat but let enough water in that we had to make sure to prop the trailer up high enough so that all the water would drain out rains. We could also never tie the darned things well enough to keep water from pooling in them - and that turned into a real pain. Dealing with the tarps probably cost us 30 minutes or more each time we went sailing and they looked lousy, and they didn't work very well. So.....

Enter Tom Bell of Bell Sail. He made a great suite of sails for Goldberry last year and he was willing to tackle a custom cover. Here is the result:

The cover is made from sunbrella, a very coated fabric resistant to UV, etc. It features hand sewn leather collars around the mast and forestay, velcro tabs around the chainplates, and a nice set of lashings to hold the cover to the boat and trailer. It is sized to cover the end of the gaff yard (and the tip of the mainsail).

The cover is laced at the stern.

Top view.

Tom left it a little baggy since he expects the cover to shrink a bit over the first little bit of use. Also, he is planning to add chafe protection around the oarlock pads and wherever else wear appears. I felt very confident of my skills during Goldberry's construction, but boy was I glad to have Tom's expertise for this project.!