Hi Roger,
I wanted to thank you for the survey you undertook for us recently, and to let you know how things are going. We are proceeding with the purchase, with the seller putting in another £15k or so of work to bring the boat up to scratch (full re-rigging, new batteries x10, bilge pump - more than 20 items in all). We have you to thank for that. And with your additional observations and suggestions for remedial work in the coming years, we feel we have a good handle on what is to come.
Good news: we sent the sails off to a local loft for cleaning and inspection - the sails have some grease stains from an over-lubricated mast, and a little Sahara sand staining from sitting in the mast “almost unused since new". Thus with the patching of the stained area, we have sails that the sail loft say are of high quality (for cruising) and fit for "maybe 10 years of careful cruising use". We couldn’t believe our luck!
Thanks again for your comprehensive report and followup discussion, we are delighted with the outcome and couldn’t be happier with your help.
Best wishes