auto detaching mainsail

[mainbrace]

After returning to chichester harbour on the bank holiday weekend after a windy sail down from Cowes (c 30mph westerly breeze) I rounded up inside to take down the main. Sail was rattling about as we came into the wind, but before I could get it down about half of the clips holding the sail to the sliders in the mast came open and the sail nearly came away competely. If this had happened outside the harbour I think I'd have been in something of a spot as the mainsail could easily have gone over the side. The sail and all its fittings were new this year so age is not a factor.

Has anyone else had this happen - is there a better more failsafe way to attach the sail to the mast ?

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[snowleopard]

sounds nasty- what are these 'clips'? are they like plastic shower curtain runners? we had these on a sonata years ago. they had the benefit that they slid to the end of the loop in the slider and provided a lengthways pull making hoisting and lowering easier. they never failed on us but did look pretty flimsy.

the safest way is to bind the sail to the slides with narrow webbing tape stitched through.

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[mainbrace]

Bit more substantial than shower curtain thingies, but yeah same sort of thing. Sewn webbing sounds like a much better idea.

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[oldharry]

New this year? I would be back banging on the sailmakers door asking what the....?

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[snowleopard]

strip of webbing about 1/2 in wide, make 2 complete turns through slide & sail, stitch through the webbing between sail & slide (or get sailmaker to do it or you'll post his name on the forum!)

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