Your previous post said you have a Pearson 36. Many similar boats from the era of Pearson and Irwin and earlier Morgans ended up with that wire thing on the backstay: it is indeed for hanging the boom from. The idea is that even sheeting down hard against the topping lift allows the boom to flog back and forth in a rolly anchorage, but the shorter, non-stretchy length of wire mitigates that. The best way, of course, is to have a proper boom gallows; having sailed my last boat a lot without a boom gallows convinced me never to put to sea without one again.
Can't wait for those teeth.
Ben
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