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8. If the furling line exits on the port side of the line drum, the sail should be hoisted in the starboard
groove. If the line exits on the starboard side, use the port groove. Hoisting the sail in the ”right”
groove reduces initial resistance when furling the sail, which then has less of a ”fold” along the
forestay than if the other groove is used.
9. Hoist the sail. The pre-feeder assists luff tape feed by steering the sail in towards the luff extrusion
and sail feeder at a small angle. Tension the halyard until a vertical crease appears in the luff of the
sail, then slacken off until the crease disappears. Belay the halyard.
10. The prefeeder will automaticly retract to it’s seat.
11. Furl the sail on the Furlex luff section by pulling on the furling line. Let the windward sheet run
freely. Keep some tension in the leeward sheet, for example by placing a turn around a winch. It is
important to furl the sail tightly and evenly, as a sail which is furled too loosely may blow out a little
in strong winds. If the boat is left unattended, the sail may flap until it tears. A very loosely furled
sail may also cause unnecessary wear, as the sail roll will swing back and forth in the wind.
12. Check the number of turns of the furling line remaining on the line drum. When the largest sail is
furled tightly, there should be 3 - 5 turns left. To adjust the number of turns, detach the sheet and turn
the Furlex luff extrusion by hand until the correct number of turns are on the drum. When furling in
strong winds, the sail will roll more tightly, requiring more turns on the line drum and meaning
that more line will be needed. Make sure you always have sufficient turns of line on the drum.
13. Check that the halyard swivel is at least 20 mm (3/4”) from the top guard and that the
halyard
angle satisfies the 5-10° requirement.
14. Once all these points have been checked, mark the
halyard as shown in the diagram to prevent over-
tensioning by a winch or when the forestay/backstay
is adjusted. Mark the maximum tension position of
the backstay adjuster.
15. The forestay tension can now be adjusted without putting too much strain on the halyard.
Warning! Never tension the halyard when the sail is reefed or furled.
(Partial unfurling: See chap. 12,
”Reefing”
)
1. Release the furling line and the windward genoa sheet. Allow these to run freely while the sail is
being unfurled.
2. For a controlled unfurling manoeuvre, it is best to place a turn of the furling line around a winch or a
half-turn around a cleat. This induces some drag, which is particularly useful in stronger winds.
3. Place a turn of the leeward genoa sheet around a winch and unfurl the sail by pulling in the sheet.
Once the wind catches the sail it will unfurl more easily. The best point of sail for unfurling is
between close reach and beam reach, as the wind will then fill the sail quickly.
4. Place a few more turns of the sheet around the winch and sheet the sail in to the desired trim.
Fig. 11.1.b
11.2 Unfurling the sail