Running Backstays

[Tinto]

An owner of a Centurion told me that he had removed the running backstays, as for normal cruising they were not needed. He had sailed for years without them. This is not a flimsy racing rig that relies on them. A survey on the boat agreed with this, but suggested that for long-distance or very heavy weather they might be useful.

I am progressing this and have spoken to a surveyor who said the same thing. A useful safety feature for heavy weather, otherwise move them forward out of the way.

 

[Daydream believer]

Years ago my Stella was looked after by Tucker Brown at Burnham on Crouch. One day I arrived to be greated by Sonny Cole- A director. He said, " We have fitted running backstays to your boat!!" "Why?" I asked. "You have been sailing it too hard & you will have that mast over the side". "We have set them to stop you over tensioning them though"
It seems from his explanation that early Stellas were meant to have them but it was found that as owners were cranking them up too hard it was thought it could be a cause of some mast failures. Added to the short tacking in the Crouch nearly every owner did away with them.
They did actually make a difference as I could get the forestay to stand up better & I was always a better performer in really heavy weather.
It just demonstrates the difference between yards then & yards now. Could you imagine a yard putting them on your boat without permission these days. They would not ask if I wanted a scrub directly. It would be more like " Are you doing Burnham week?" "Of course" & my boat would be scrubbed and a coat of red racing put on a few days prior.
I would get bills for " Pumping out", when heavy rain had occurred. They just looked after everything.

 

[Tinto]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Very useful