Unmitigated disaster analysis

[[70521]]

I'd suggest a large dram of a good malt whisky.

 

[wombat88]

Noted, thanks Andy. The more I think about it, the more a plan takes shape. Force 4 will be rubbing their hands in glee.



I doubt it will work if you have mid-boom sheeting...or if you have spinnaker pole holders sticking out. Although, the Torch doesn't look like those problems will apply.

But doesn't it also give a fairly horrible baggy shape to the sail, in conditions when it really needs to be right?

My set-up has been the same since 2013 when I first sewed in the reef, so it's high time for review.

Apart from other considerations, it would be handy to be able to haul the main up and down - either to hoist, reef, or drop - from the back of the cockpit.

100 yards out from the breakers at the slipway (there's usually an onshore breeze), for ease of control on landing, I tend to turn the boat out to sea and drop the sail clumsily onto the boom in lazyjacks, then arrive under genoa, or just using the breeze on the dropped main.

But it always necessitates standing at the mast - the same reason I can't reef on the move. Much better if the main could be briskly dropped/hoisted from the back of the cockpit. The photo in post 16 foreshortens the boat - it's actually a congested 8ft+ from the tiller to the mast. (11ft+ from the transom to the mast).

AS to baggy mains, I find that when I wrap the main round the boom I'm wrapping up the baggiest bit of the sail!

I also sail a 12ft gunter rigged boat with a topping lift and the throat halyard back to centre thwart. This lets one take the power out of the main when approaching jetties etc either by lowering the gaff or raising the boom. This one has traditional reefing. A lot to be said for gunter...very easy to rig too, small spars etc etc.