What's on the Wicki
The Westerly Owners Wiki - the "WesterlyWiki" or simply "The Wiki" has been online for just over a year and at the time of writing the front index page of the Wiki had been accessed over 75,000 times!
In the Wiki you will find facts and figures about Westerly's , "How to do it" descriptions for many common tasks and "Where to get it" lists of the materials you will require. The Wiki is a completely open resource that can be read without a password or user account by anyone with an internet connection. The best way to access the Wiki is to start from the front or Main Page at http://www.westerly-owners.co.uk/westerlywiki and follow the links to the topics you are interested in.
There are two main routes into the Wiki content. You can either choose the class you are interested in from the Westerly Classes table or you can go directly to read about a topic such as the history of the Westerly Companies or browse a collection of Westerly Brochures and Manuals.
As the Wiki is intended to be a resource holding the collective wisdom of Westerly Owners the Maintenance, Repairs and Upgrades section is an important area.
In it you will find sections on:
Cabin Fittings and Installation - replacing windows, renewing window seals, and headlining replacement
Deck and Cockpit - Washboards, Spray hood and Dodger repairs, Deck Paint
Engines - Buckh, Nanni, Petter and Volvo manuals and "How to guides"
Hull, Keels and Ruder - Rebedding keels, Osmosis, Epoxy treatment of a Centaur hull, Sea Cocks, Hull Polishing
Instruments and Electrics - Building a rugged boat PC, inexpensive digital voltmeter, wiring and crimping. All with sources of materials
Mast Rigging and Sails - Sail Dimensions
Moorings and Anchors - Anchor chain marking and fitting an electric windlass
Transmission and Propellers - Propeller removal and Cutless Bearing Replacement
New items are slowly being added but there is plenty of space for more and if you have completed a project or are just starting one, please think about perhaps taking a few pictures and filling in or expanding one of the existing topics or creating a brand new topic.
To contribute to the Wiki email the Wiki Sysops at westerlywiki@westerly-owners.co.uk and you will get a password and username that will allow you to edit and create wiki pages. If you already have an account but have lost the password you will get a new one allocated.
Wiki syntax is a little (but not very much) more complicated than using a word processor. Read the section on Basic Wiki Editing at the bottom of the Wicki front page and that will give you all the formatting you need. If you don't have the time or inclination to do that send your material to the Wiki Sysops by email and it will be loaded on for you.
Finally WOA will be recognizing contributions to the Wiki by awarding an almanac voucher for the best contribution in 2014. So if your almanac is out of date you can get a new one for 2015 for free!
Best Regards for 2014,
from the Westerly Wiki Sysops
PS Have a look at the "Whats New on the Wiki" section on the Main Page for latest updates. Currently there are two new items in the form of presentations from the East Coast Group Winter Workshop describing how to epoxy a hull and how to build a ruggedized boat PC.
