Lovely looking model Des, and I'm glad to see that you are enjoying her.
On mine the cast bowsprit fittings broke off the first time that my poor sailing ability ran the Moonbeam into the weeds. I made up a piece of plastic tubing to hold the bowsprit. Seems to work well, very strong, and doesn't look out of place.
The rudder, built exactly as per the plans, seems plenty rugged enough to cope with any sudden gusts. I make sure that the mast is vertical to the water line or even slightly forward leaning and this has resulted in a neutral helm if the sails are trimmed correctly. In fact, I lessened the rudder throw around neutral and found that this really improved my sailing and boat speed. The rudder really is very powerful and the transmitter D/R capability is a great bonus for a beginner like me.
Enjoy.
Ian