soft shackle on headsail clew

[Kerenza]

During Sundays race we popped the cover on a 12mm Dyneema sheet, where it turns under the genoa car.

Both sheets have eyes and were attached with a single vectran soft shackle to the clew, making it impossible to release the (now) lazy one to replace it.

Sorted by adding another soft shackle to the loaded sheet , bowline the new sheet on and releasing the old shackle on the next tack. (Seemed more difficult at the time, thinking and holding on and doing.) Of course the tail of the broken sheet then got caught under the genoa car.

Crew now demanding two shackles all the time.

So that didn't help the result.

 

[bbg]

I agree with the crew. Each sheet should be attached to the clew independently.

 

[flaming]

I agree with the crew. Each sheet should be attached to the clew independently.

I also agree with the crew.

 

[Kerenza]

I agree too - point was I thought very carefully about loading etc but simply copied the set up on lots of boats. Luckily I'd taken off a cable tie I'd read about and fitted to keep the knot inside the clew cringle.

 

[keyfonts]

I definitely agree with the crew

 

[Woodlouse]

You live and learn. There are all to many scenarios that might require a sheet to be whipped off the headsail so it's best to keep them independent of one another.

 

[Birdseye]

Hmm. I wonder. In a lot of years I have never had the problem you describe perhaps because for handling reasons I use braided poly sheets not dynema. But I have had problems of the sheet knots hanging up on the forward lowers or the shrouds and the only way round that seems to be to tie the two sheets together an inch out from the clew

 

[Kerenza]

I must say since we changed to sheets with eyes and soft shackle there is no catching when tacking, even with the 135% genoa, very satisfactory.
I should have tapered the dyneema sheets which would have stopped this particular issue, but chose to leave the cover on to stop chafing when the sheets rub against the shrouds when furled.
I can taper them and still have cover at the shrouds, but I'm waiting for the new sails to get the measurements right!