While checking out something else in the stern lazaret, I noticed that the cable clamps that hold the steering cable to the quadrant were badly rusted. I figured I should replace them before they caused an issue.
I really did not want to mess with the tension or alignment of the cables and wheel, so I replaced one at a time. Since there were two on each cable, it never was completely released.
As I tried to unbolt the old ones, they just disintegrated into a pile of rusty shards. Obviously there were way past due to be changed, and this is not something that most boat owners check very often. Lesson learned.