Spy Photo identity revealed

This object is a beautifully made three-part wooden mandrel for the home-building of booms.

The special features are the taper at the gooseneck end to save a bit of weight and the unique (as far as we know) system of releasing the boom off the mandrel.

The mandrel is in three parts, all of which are the full length. They roughly correspond to the top, the middle and the bottom parts of the boom. This is the clever bit though: The middle one is wedge shaped so it is easy to remove, and the space made by removing that one makes the other to easy to remove as well.

This is a very welcome addition to the collection of things that Cherub sailors can use to make themselves those “little essentials”!

Thanks to Paul Croote (Dog 2645 Cheese Before Bedtime) for using his professional skills to do this.