Stowing a detachable forestay

[Guest]

Last week I posted a question about how to hoist a storm jib and triggered an interesting debate. Though some did things quite differently, the consensus seemed to be that because of the need for a taut luff, a detachable inner forestay set up with a lever was the answer. Which makes good sense but leaves one puzzle. Since any forestay is inevitably longer than the height of the mast, how do you stow it ?

 

[Guest]

I guess every boat will be different, and it's difficult to describe, but here goes.

On my boat, the removable forestay has a wire section that doesn't quite reach the deck if taken to the shrouds, and dangling below that is a pelican hook arrangement, which together are longer than the shrouds and therefore reach further than the deck.

First I tie the bottom of the pelican hook arrangement to the deck attachment point for the shrouds, using cord. The forestay is floppy and banging on the deck at this stage. I then take a second cord attached to a fitting on the deck a couple of feet further forward, pass this through a ring where the pelican hook is attached to the wire bit of the forestay (back & forth several times to get a purchase), and tension. This keeps the forestay reasonably taught, out of the way, and stops it banging on the shrouds or the deck. At the same time, it can be accessed quickly (if one is to busy to untie it) by simply cutting the cord.

Worked for me.

 

[Guest]

I wrap mine around the cap shroud (from the top spreader down)then tension by cord to the shroud deck fitting, the tension lever is removed and stowed below.

Ed.

 

[Guest]

Take a look at some Hallberg Rassys....

They use a neat stainless fitting at the base of the mast, and the inner forestay wraps 180 degrees round it and then secures to the mast.

 

[Guest]

I have a system similar to Simon's: at the bottom of my inner forestay, there's a rigging screw attached to a SS "sliphook" (it allows me to set the tension of the inner forestay). When I want to "park" the inner stay, I detach the rigging screw/sliphook combo and fasten the inner forestay (which doesn't quite reach the deck) to a U-bolt fastened to the deck just forward of the lower forward shroud chainplate with a lashing. An additional lashing on the forward lower shroud about 6 feet up prevents any movement. john

 

[Guest]

good system ,the same i do.instead of of a cord i use a rubber with hooks so the all thing is done fast.must change the rubber every two years (med sailing).

 

[Guest]

Good ideas regarding stowing, but if you go adding an inner forestay don't you need to consider running backstays to avoid overstressing the mast? I can see that if the storm jib stay runs close to the existing forestay, and you never fly two headsails at the same time it would be ok. But if you install the detachable stay well inboard of the forestay, to move the centre of effort inboard for better stability and to enable you to set up the forestay and hank on the storm jib whilst still using your genoa, would runners be necessary? Any opinions?

 

[Guest]

I have an emergency inner forestay fitted and stowed similarly to above - when fitted I was told, if I remember correctly, that the top fitting should be no more than 12"/30cm from top of mast; any lower would require additional backstays to counter assymetric loading...it's also important to have some means of fixing the bottom end securely/solidly to carry the load and transfer it to hull - for interest I have a double pad eye on deck through bolted to a ss plate on the underside (in the anchor locker) from which a rigging screw is then connected to a u-bolt low down on the bow. From end-to-end more or less in a straight line. Apart from storm jib, it's there in case the roller fouls up/blows out - and for mounting twins - if we ever get that far...I've also seen such inners stowed neatly using a plate secured to a spreader - this plate has an elongated slot cut into it, athwartships so to speak, with a narrow entrance slot facing forward through which the inner forestay is passed and then pulled to the side locking it into the elongated slot alongwith other external running rigging with all bottom ends tensioned to deck. Appears to work well and helps keep the noise down...