Issue 4
April 2012
Section 7
Sails, Running Rigging and Reefing
Original Arrangements
Both models were originally offered with hanked on foresails and a Barton roller reefing main.
Other sails, slab reefing for the main, and Colnebrook roller reefing for the genoa,were offered as
extras. The main was fitted with sliders rather than a bolt rope.
A question frequently asked is whether the sail number indicates the age of the boat. The answer
is that it doesn't do so precisely, because the sails, (made by Rockall) appear to have been issued
more or less at random.
Lazy Jacks
When the main is lowered, it usually flops all over the deck obscuring your view, before being
flaked down and tied onto the boom – not convenient if you are single handed. With lazy jacks
fitted, the sail is constrained into a heap on top of the boom and can be tidied away at leisure.
Many owners also go the next step and fit some form of stackaway pack, where the sail cover is
permanently fitted to the boom. The only downside to fitting lazy jacks is that when raising the
sail, the boat has to be dead to wind, otherwise there is a risk of the battens getting caught
outside the lines.
Running Rigging
As supplied,the halyards were 3/8” diameter braid-on-braid, and the topping lift 1/4”. Many
owners opt for 6mm for the topping lift and genoa furling line, 8mm for halyards and kicking
strap, and 10 or 12mm for the main and genoa sheets. There are no 'standard' lengths of the
various lines; this depends on how the lines are routed and cleated off on the individual boat. The
rigging diagram is at
Rigging Diagram
.
For safety and convenience reasons, many
boats have their control lines led back to the
cockpit via various turning arrangements of
blocks, and via clutches or jammers on the
coach roof. The picture shows one such
arrangement. Note also in the other picture
that there is no downhaul on this gooseneck;
it is fixed rigidly to the upper mast step bolt
by a metal strap (15mm stainless tubing
flattened at the ends), the luff of the main
being hauled tight by the main halyard.
All lines should be removed from the boat during the winter and inspected for wear. This can be
done easily if a lightweight, say 2 or 3mm, messenger is pulled through on the end of each line. A
good way of joining the two is by sewing a couple of loops onto the end of each line with a
medium whipping twine. The messenger can then be tied on to the loops with a bowline, and the
join covered with plastic insulating tape to taper the joint. Putting the lines in a low temperature
cycle in the washing machine will remove ingrained dirt and salt. It is best to constrain the lines
in a bag, eg an old pillowslip, to reduce the amount of tangling.
The usual problem with lines is either breakage and/or losing a halyard in the mast. Providing
there is still one halyard - or messenger – in the mast, the situation can be retrieved, although
access to the mast head is necessary, either by dropping the mast, or by going up it. In principle,
the existing in-mast line is used to pull TWO messengers (of different colours) through. As soon
as the pair have entered the mast heel, with a bit of bent wire, fish the 'lost' messenger out
through its correct sheave; it may be helpful to remove the sheaves to do this. Then keeping
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