Suggestions for a knot

[Kerenza]

Evening.
I have several sails on torsion ropes which get hoisted as necessary.
As a result the sheets are attached as the sails are raised.
I use a sail tie through the clew to stop the sail unfurling. Once the sail is hoisted, a few turns wraps the sheets sufficiently, the tie is then removed.
As age gathers pace I no longer relish standing on the pulpit to remove the tie, so what knot might I use , to give me a hanging tail, which a sharp pull would release?
Thanks
K

 

[Daydream believer]

A 3-4 turns around the sail, then take a loop of the tie through the loop in the end of the sail tie & loop it ( Half a bow) under itself, such that pulling it will pull it back through the loop in the end of the tie.

 

[Thistle]

Does the tie have to go through the clew or would it work well enough being a bit lower ... where you could reach it from the deck without the pulpit gymnastics?

 

[penberth3]

Evening.
I have several sails on torsion ropes which get hoisted as necessary.
As a result the sheets are attached as the sails are raised.
I use a sail tie through the clew to stop the sail unfurling. Once the sail is hoisted, a few turns wraps the sheets sufficiently, the tie is then removed.
As age gathers pace I no longer relish standing on the pulpit to remove the tie, so what knot might I use , to give me a hanging tail, which a sharp pull would release?
Thanks
K

Would this be any good? I know it as a Highwayman's Hitch, the "release" end can be made as long as you need. The whole thing falls away leaning no turns to jam. I wouldn't rely on it for long-term security, but if you want to rig it and release soon afterwards it should be fine.

 

[thinwater]

(No the boat in the avitar. I now have an F-24 trimaran)

I have a reacher like that which I hoist from the foredeck hatch. Like you, I don't relish working at the pulpit.

The sailbag hangs from a frame in the foredeck hatch. I attach the halyard and sheets while still in the hatch, and pull only the tack out to attach it to the furler on the sprit (the bowsprit is hinged--I then pull it out into place using a bobstay tackle).

So nearly all the work is done sitting on the deck by the hatch, which is nice.

I don't use a sail tie, but I do have a 24" pendant on the clew, which I wrap around the sail. The sheets go to that with a soft shackle. But I too need to think of a better knot. I use a variation on the highwayman's hitch.

Good luck!

 

[Kerenza]

Thanks so far.
Thistle, Thanks.
The strengthened clews are quite stiff, so above or below the clew ring might be too insecure in any breeze , able to slide up or down the sail, so yes, it needs to go through the clew.
Daydream, thanks, still working out if yours might work.
Thinwater, our system is similar, but we lay the sails down the sidedecks, with port and starboard halyards swopping the sheets as necessary.

K

 

[Kerenza]

I have seen velcro used to hold the sail together, but a long pendant might be an improvement, as only one sheet would need to be transferred , until tacking or gybing.

K

 

[AntarcticPilot]

The traditional answer is to tie the sail with soft cotton (candlewick) that will break when the sheet is pulled. You can slip almost any knot, though - the approach I'd take is to look at my repertoire of favourite knots and then think how it can be slipped.

 

[Kerenza]

Unfortunately, but rightly, cotton binding is no longer PC or allowed under racing rules.

K

 

[thinwater]

Thanks so far.
Thistle, Thanks.
The strengthened clews are quite stiff, so above or below the clew ring might be too insecure in any breeze , able to slide up or down the sail, so yes, it needs to go through the clew.
Daydream, thanks, still working out if yours might work.
Thinwater, our system is similar, but we lay the sails down the sidedecks, with port and starboard halyards swopping the sheets as necessary.

K

You might try hoisting out of a box bag instead of just laying the sail on the deck. Common with spinnakers. Might need something custom sewn for a reacher.

I like the Velcro strap idea! One-Wrap should do nicely for me! fgast, and Velcro straps are even used for clewstraps on racer mainsails these days, up to about 45-feet (Not One-Wrap, but still two-sided Velcro).

 

[Kerenza]

I think I'm going with the long pendant, with some velcro at the tack.
A great example of thinking outside the box, you've moved my problem to the ground, rather than finding a solution 3 m high.
We fly from sailbags, although we have the box bags, 18m+ luffs folded in 3 fit nicely and everything is getatable.

Thanks for your inspiration.

K

 

[thinwater]

I think I'm going with the long pendant, with some velcro at the tack.
A great example of thinking outside the box, you've moved my problem to the ground, rather than finding a solution 3 m high.
We fly from sailbags, although we have the box bags, 18m+ luffs folded in 3 fit nicely and everything is getatable.

Thanks for your inspiration.

K

I figured out my methods over several boats and lots of mistakes. And yet the Velcro idea is new! For most sailing things I detest Velcro, but there are exceptions.

 

[bignick]

Why not put a 1m strop on the clew of each sail and use this to wrap the sail, like you do before you remove the sail tie.. You can have a loop or thimble at the end of this, to which you would attach your sheets. It would move the attachment point down to where it’s much easier to reach So you wouldn’t need to stand on the pulpit. ive seen a shorter strop used on the clew of manyo asymmetric spinnakers, so an extended version may work for you.

// this might be what you’re talking about with a pendant.

 

[Kerenza]

Yes Bignick that's what I'll try, although the pendants will be more like 2m or more.

K