Raising the Main

[Fantasie 19]

Very interested in this thread having just sold my Laser dinghy and purchased a 'pocket' cruiser which is on a swing mooring in Southampton Water.

In light of my dinghy experience, I had assumed (cruiser ashore at the moment) that the main could be hoisted whilst on the mooring and left untrimmed whilst I motor out into clear water. But this thread suggests to me that best practice is to leave the main stowed until you have motored out into clear water.

Am I missing something?

Thanks

Chris

No - either approach is valid - for me it depends on wind direction at the mooring in relation to where I'm going.....

W.r.t the OP's question - I think the options have all been fully discussed with the exception of leading the main halyard back to the cockpit - I sail almost totally solo, so a main I can raise/drop from the cockpit is a huge bonus - you're never more than a yard or two from tiller and engine...

 

[Even Chance]

No - either approach is valid - for me it depends on wind direction at the mooring in relation to where I'm going.....

W.r.t the OP's question - I think the options have all been fully discussed with the exception of leading the main halyard back to the cockpit - I sail almost totally solo, so a main I can raise/drop from the cockpit is a huge bonus - you're never more than a yard or two from tiller and engine...

My main halliard runs to the cockpit, but the main is a fully bolt-rope job that comes out of the groove completely. Its a pest to feed into the slot whilst hauling it up. I sometimes haul it up whilst at the marina berth and motor out of the harbour. I also stop dead in the water, as I find that motoring forwards increases the apparent wind and makes it a bit more of a pain to hoist.

 

[jdc]

Close reach?

I have a big fully-battened main with quite a big roach, and it's v heavy. I used to slowly motor up-wind or hoist at anchor or mooring if wind and tide direction allowed, but it was quite a performance every time. I now much prefer the following:

1. Unfurl the yankee and steer onto a close reach. The boat is now moving steadily and under control, and the slight heel helps stop the boom swinging across the cockpit.
2. The boat will point quite stably like this with a lashed helm, but one can also engage the auto-pilot.
3. Slack off enough mainsheet so the main will not have any drive in it once up.
4. Hoist the main.

It goes up without fuss and does not flap or slam the boom across so there's lessened danger of falling overboard. Best of all the lazy-jacks no longer catch on the battens. It just feel less fuss - provided there's room of course.

 

[Ripster]

When I started sailing with our 37ftr, I was taught, motor at about 2-3 knts, point into wind, raise main, secure off and away you go - simples. But the issue I had was dropping the main down again. It'd come down half mast then stay there flapping itself all over the place, having to be pulled down to rest. At first I was told "ah thats yr new sails, they'll come down fine after a few trips out"- they didn't and still don't. Then a helpful clever bod on here said "before dropping the main, point to wind, centre the boom, raise the boom up nice and steep with Tlift and it'l fall like a stone - it did and still does. Also use a bit of silicone lube on the sliders too.

 

[TQA]

If you are new to raising the main while at anchor or on a mooring do be very aware of the possiblity that a wind shift may cause the sail to fill and the boat to take off.

This can happen even if you have a slack main sheet.

Ask me how I know this.

 

[prv]

If you are new to raising the main while at anchor or on a mooring do be very aware of the possiblity that a wind shift may cause the sail to fill and the boat to take off.

On Kindred Spirit, I would hoist the main scandalised while dealing with the anchor. Throat hauled fully up, but peak left with the gaff horizontal. This turned the upper triangle of the sail into a bag of washing that could never generate any drive. I would also hoik the boom well up on the topping lift, which did the same to the lower triangle. Once the anchor was at the waterline, I would drop the boom, instantly setting half the sail and giving steerage way (for the tiller pilot) at slow speed while I got the anchor on deck, stowed, and washed off. Then three or four pulls by hand on the peak halyard and the sail was fully set and we were away.

I will miss such flexibility on the new boat...

Pete

 

[Giblets]

Pete (PRV) have been meaning to ask - is your Kindred Spirit the one that is currently ashore at Langstone Sailing Club?

 

[prv]

Pete (PRV) have been meaning to ask - is your Kindred Spirit the one that is currently ashore at Langstone Sailing Club?

Errm, no. Didn't realise there was another. Mine is currently ashore (for sale! ) at Kemp's Quay on the Itchen.

What kind of boat is the Langstone one?

Pete

 

[BAtoo]

When single-handed I motor out of the marina (main halyard on, sailcover open) into the river, find a quiet spot & take in the fenders whilst not under way, look again for another quiet spot, head into the wind, engine off and drift forward with momentum, mainsheet slack/kicker off, hoist at the mast 'cos its quicker, jam the halyard, back to the winch, tighten up halyard and off I go. Lots of silicone on the slides helps a lot.

Dropping is get the halyard ready to run, (engine on, not in gear), nudge up into the wind, clutch off & a quick untidy drop into the sail-pack, if its still quiet fenders on then (if needed) and motor off.

Off my mooring I usually do the same as there's quite a few boats nearby.

 

[Giblets]

Errm, no. Didn't realise there was another. Mine is currently ashore (for sale! ) at Kemp's Quay on the Itchen.

What kind of boat is the Langstone one?

Pete

A low long mean looking one. Almost a dayboat with a small cabin. Will try and get a pic over the weekend.

Seajet may come back with more details.

 

[jakeroyd]

Thanks for your replies.
If on a swinging mooring I have no problem the boat weathercocks and the main is up.

I have single line reefinbg which is a bit of a PITA , i leave the reefing lines very loose so i don't need any effort to overcome friction when lifting the main.
I also have the boom well up at the aft end, not exactly scandalised but some way towards it.

I think the main lesson i shall take from this is to try and have much less way on when raising and just be warte of if the boat is starting to pay off before i have the halliard set up right.

All my lines come back to the cockpit so in theory it's easy.

Will be on the boat this coming weekend so i will experiment.(I am Plymouth based , so keep an eye out

 

[charles_reed]

Vic,

The mind's eye is boggling at the view of a planing Sea Wych. ;-)

I get into clear water before trying to raise my main - 38m2 and 13m lift, fully battened - is hard work.
Mind you lifting at anchor is a doddle, I always used to do that until I rammed the St Agnes ferry and had to cross the Channel with a bent pulpit and the anchor marker round the prop...

 

[Woodlouse]

If single handing I stick the boat head to wind with a bit of slack in the mainsheet. I don't have an autopilot so the engine gets left in neutral and I use the main its self to keep the boat more or less into the wind. It's quite a large gaff mainsail so I sometimes have to wait till I have a fair bit of sea room as I need at least one headsail straight after before I can start sailing enough to lash the helm so I have time to hoist the second headsail.

If with enough crew then motoring gently into the wind can make things quicker and if sailing off an anchor or mooring then I'll set the main with the tack triced and a jib before setting off.

Racing boats with expensive 3DL sails go head to wind and then reverse so as to reduce the apparent wind as much as possible. They don't like those sails flapping.