Boat is back in the water. Construction will continue, at a reduced pace, mixed with sailing. Those pictures are from last year.

As for lifelines, I think if you have them you should keep them. They may not always prevent someone from going over, but could save the day. I'm going to put some on one of these days. Like Steve, some people extend the lifelines all the way around the boat.

My old Commander had lifelines but I still did the crab crawl or butt slide on the foredeck when conditions were rough and the sail needed dousing or changing.

No doubt the lever effect causes a big stress point on the deck. You could bed them more securely--with backing plates above and below. But, a collision might cause them to rip a big hole in the deck, instead of just a bent stantion or screws pulled through.

What the hell, if they're causing you aggravation, go ahead and take them off and fill the holes. Won't take long unless the screws are frozen. See how it feels. You can always put them back on. Probably need to be re-bedded anyway, big source of leaks.

My pet peeve is people standing up in the cockpit. Makes me nervous.