two form a reef knot, fig. 38. The block is then
shackled to the aft pin on the forward side of the
mast head fitting.
The eye of the main halyard is fed over the sheaves
of the mast head and the rope tail is attached as on
the jib halyard. The rope tail should be on the for-
ward side of the mast.
4.
The lower shrouds are fixed to their respective
3.
tangs.
The main shrouds are attached.
The forestay is attached to the middle hole on the
5.
6.
Fig.
38.
H o w to connect the
rope tail to the w
ire h a l y a r d .
forward side of the mast head fitting. The forward
7 .
8.
9.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
hole is for a spinnaker halyard block.
The block for the topping lift is fixed to the inner hole on the aft side of the mast.
The block should be turned so that the rope end leads down the mast.
The back stay is fixed in the aft hole
The locking pins on the rigging screws are removed and the bolts must be taken
out. The rigging screws should be opened half way and then attached to their
respective stays and shrouds, All rigging screws should be fitted so that they
turn the same way when tightened.
The straps on the spreader ends are loosened. One split pin and washer are
removed from the spreader, the spreader tube is put through the hole in the
mast and the washer and split pin are fitted again. The main shrouds are put
into the grooves of the spreader and the straps are replaced. Tape or cover the
ends to prevent the sails from chafing on sharp edges.
Attach wind indicator or burgee.
Check that all bolts in the rigging are locked with split pins and all shackles are
siezed with wire. Tape over the sharp ends of pins.
Position the mast with the strap hook at the foot against the athwarthship bolt
of the mast step.
Connect the mast cables from the steaming light to the connectors
a t
the mast
step.
Attach the forestay and shrouds. The mast is raised by hand and the backstay
is attached. Tighten the rigging and lock the rigging screws. The lower shrouds
should b e tightened lightly but the others should b e tightened fairly hard. After
sailing for some time the rigging should be tightened again. Tape the pins and
the rigging screws.
Boom and main sheet should then be fixed. The locking knob on the gooseneck
traveler should be below the boom.
Setting sail for the first time
Pull the mainsail out on the boom and attach i t to the gooseneck fitting. Pull the sail
out tight. Fit the slides into the mast track, insert the battens in the batten pockets
in the mainsail and attach the main halyard. Hoist the mainsail almost to the top of
the mast. The luff can then be tensioned the desired amount by pushing the boom
down and locking it there with the knob. Both the foot and luff should be stretched
just enough to make the small wrinkles in the sail disappear but not so hard that
diagonal wrinkles appear.
Hoist the jib and tension the halyard as much as possible. The blocks for the jib sheet
leads should be adjusted on the tracks so that the line of the sheet is below a line
perpendicular to the forestay. The sheeting points must of course be adjusted so that
the leech is neither too slack nor too tight. If the jib is hoisted higher with a couple
of shackles between the tack and tack fitting, the sheet point moves aft.
As
a rule,
it is better to have the leech too slack if anything. The positions of the sheeting points
should be marked on the track with paint o r tape. It i s advi sable to tape the forward
ends of the track so that the sheet block slides cannot come off b y mistake and be
lost.
Avoid heeling the Albin 25 too much and shorten sail in good time. Begin b y reefing
the mainsail. If the boom is pulled aft from the fitting the sail can be rolled round the
boom (easier to do with sail lowered). Naturally the easiest way to shorten sail is to
lower one of the sails.
31
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