James,

Thanks for the encouragement: my new handspliced wire-to-rope halyards are rigged.

The first splice I tried looked like a dog had chewed up a bunch of sta-set and wire rope then crapped it out. But you know... the second one was better! :-)

I would encourage anyone to try DIY splicing.

I'm now working on mounting organizers and clutches to run them aft.

- Ari