Clutch a Free Winch

[Guest]

In PBO Sep, 2002, p57, Clutch a 'Free' winch suggests cutting off excess Furling Genoa halyard.
BEWARE.
If you do this you will have nothing to get up the mast with if the main halyard jams unless you have steps or a spinnaker halyard.

 

[Footpad]

I'm not happy about leaving the headsail under tension for "7x24xthe season " either it must stretch and you must lose tension and shape, a furling headsail is compromise enough without adding early stretch. I always release the halyard at the end of a session and retention first time I unfurl it.