Please don't weep!

Moisture wicking down thru the end grain of the sampson posts over the long, rainy Seattle winters was a source of water in the chain locker on Eolian. A quick and very nautical fix for this was some thin sheet copper (gotten at a craft store) and some small copper brads.

If you decide to do this and find the sheet is too stiff to work with, heat it to red heat and let it cool slowly - this should take the work-hardening out of it.