BlueSkyNick
Active member
To set the scene, 3 weeks ago I took some 'strangers' from our club out for a day, as part of our usual monthly meet. Couldn't get the mainsail out of the furler past about half way, had to get one of the other club members up the mast to at least enable me to stow it. This is what prompted a previous post about learning to climb the mast. Didn't want to risk trying it again without having somebody around to go aloft if the same problem arose.
Enter Jimi - what a great bloke he is - we had agreed to meet at the marina Saturday morning as we both had other tasks on our boats. In the meantime, I had been offered a free seat at Southamton v Crystal Palace, more on that later.
So circa 1100 arrive at boat, no sign of Jimi, start to attempt removal of oil filter because its due for a change. Bugger, oil filter removal tool at home, nip up into the town to buy another one. Back to the marina, bloke on next boat says he could have lent me one (he wasn't there when I left).
Saw Jimi's car so stroll along pontoon to Glen Rosa. Explain to Jimi about tool - he could have lent me one as well (but he wasn't there when I left either). Glen Rosa's kettle just coming to the boil so accept a cuppa, sat around in cabin discussing the pros and cons of buying a 44 footer, and bemoaning life in general.
Jimi says he wants to go for a sail on 18th December, maybe get a few boats out. He reckons Parahandy is up for it. I remind Jimi of <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.ybw.com/cgi-bin/forums/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=ym&Number=599614&Search=true&Forum=All_Forums&Words=BIGNICK&Match=Username&Searchpage=4&Limit=25&Old=allposts&Main=599614>this post</A>, suggesting we get a load of boats up to the Folly on 11th. Jimi is busy on 12th as Race Officer on a duckpond somewhere. So no clear decision made.
Agree to go back to own boat, to attempt unfurling of mainsail on the basis that Jimi will go aloft if the need arises. Chuffing sail sticks in exactly the same place - can see a pleat of cloth about half way up. Back to GR to fetch Jimi complete with rock climbing equipment. Jimi ascends using spinnaker and genoa halyards as climbing ropes. I recall the challenge he made to Tome regarding a race to the top, and instantly decide where my money will be placed.
Jimi manages to pull offending pleat of cloth out of furler and goes to the top. Suggests it may have been due to the tape which secures the leech-line to the sail becoming undone. Decide to drop mainsail - this is done several minutes later once Jimi is back on deck, his voice having varied from baritone to boy soprano several times.
Can see where leech line tape is coming undone, and reckon I can fix it myself. Decide to take sail home because I am due at Southampton FC quite soon. Jimi gets in a huff because I decline his offer of help to fold the sail properly, refuses the offer of a beer, and disappears down the pontoon. I find that mainsail generally folded in a ball just about fits into boot of car, along with sail repair kit. Lock up boat and head for ferry from Hythe to S'oton.
Mr Vodafone calls and says I have a message - it's Parahandy - he must be telepathetic or whatever !! Just as Jimi and I had been talking about him, going for a pre-Christmas sail , etc etc he had been calling my phone to find out if the Folly is still on for the 11th - spooky or what?!
From the ferry boat, I can see a another mainsail now hoisted on a boat in the marina - this time its on GlenRosa, cos Jimi's changing it over for the winter.
Arrive at footie ground 10minutes late, having spent 3quid on a burger not fit for consumption by the family hound. Watch - no - tolerate 80minutes of schoolboy standard football, listening to the home fans boo their own team at the end.
Back to ferry, across to Hythe, and get home 2 hours later. Graciously accept bollocking for being an hour overdue - because we are supposed to be at friends for a meal and mah jong - they were not too bothered - a great evening, even though I only had one decent score.
Sunday morning - retrieve ball of sail from car, and am pleased we have an L-shaped hallway in the house. The luff just about fits on the l bit, with the foot along the _ bit, with the leech sort of bundled on the corner. Manage to fold it with some semblence of order, and assess what has happened.
Then drive to Bath to visit ailing mother in hospital, credit card gets hit for a couple of hundred for Christmas shopping. On the return, broach the subject of a Scuttlebutt pre-Christmas get together. Will post seperately on this.
Now for the relevent bit.
Whilst I prefer the inmast furling, especially for just SWMBO and myself, ours is actually a Kemp add-on to the original mast. The height of the topping lift is crucial when furling the sail away. I have now realised that on the previous outing I probably put some tension on the leech line, due to a minor 'flutter', then furled the sail without releasing it. I would also have tightened the topping lift, and probably got it too high. The result was an excess of cloth along the leech, with the leech line pulling it tight, hence the pleat and subsequent jam.
So moral of story is - check leech line AND topping lift prior to furling sail.
I now anticipate a tirade of posts about why inmast furling is a bad thing etc etc, - yawn, yawn !
<hr width=100% size=1>I can't be bothered with a footnote - it's usually rubbish anyway.<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by BIGNICK on 28/11/2004 20:28 (server time).</FONT></P>
Enter Jimi - what a great bloke he is - we had agreed to meet at the marina Saturday morning as we both had other tasks on our boats. In the meantime, I had been offered a free seat at Southamton v Crystal Palace, more on that later.
So circa 1100 arrive at boat, no sign of Jimi, start to attempt removal of oil filter because its due for a change. Bugger, oil filter removal tool at home, nip up into the town to buy another one. Back to the marina, bloke on next boat says he could have lent me one (he wasn't there when I left).
Saw Jimi's car so stroll along pontoon to Glen Rosa. Explain to Jimi about tool - he could have lent me one as well (but he wasn't there when I left either). Glen Rosa's kettle just coming to the boil so accept a cuppa, sat around in cabin discussing the pros and cons of buying a 44 footer, and bemoaning life in general.
Jimi says he wants to go for a sail on 18th December, maybe get a few boats out. He reckons Parahandy is up for it. I remind Jimi of <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.ybw.com/cgi-bin/forums/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=ym&Number=599614&Search=true&Forum=All_Forums&Words=BIGNICK&Match=Username&Searchpage=4&Limit=25&Old=allposts&Main=599614>this post</A>, suggesting we get a load of boats up to the Folly on 11th. Jimi is busy on 12th as Race Officer on a duckpond somewhere. So no clear decision made.
Agree to go back to own boat, to attempt unfurling of mainsail on the basis that Jimi will go aloft if the need arises. Chuffing sail sticks in exactly the same place - can see a pleat of cloth about half way up. Back to GR to fetch Jimi complete with rock climbing equipment. Jimi ascends using spinnaker and genoa halyards as climbing ropes. I recall the challenge he made to Tome regarding a race to the top, and instantly decide where my money will be placed.
Jimi manages to pull offending pleat of cloth out of furler and goes to the top. Suggests it may have been due to the tape which secures the leech-line to the sail becoming undone. Decide to drop mainsail - this is done several minutes later once Jimi is back on deck, his voice having varied from baritone to boy soprano several times.
Can see where leech line tape is coming undone, and reckon I can fix it myself. Decide to take sail home because I am due at Southampton FC quite soon. Jimi gets in a huff because I decline his offer of help to fold the sail properly, refuses the offer of a beer, and disappears down the pontoon. I find that mainsail generally folded in a ball just about fits into boot of car, along with sail repair kit. Lock up boat and head for ferry from Hythe to S'oton.
Mr Vodafone calls and says I have a message - it's Parahandy - he must be telepathetic or whatever !! Just as Jimi and I had been talking about him, going for a pre-Christmas sail , etc etc he had been calling my phone to find out if the Folly is still on for the 11th - spooky or what?!
From the ferry boat, I can see a another mainsail now hoisted on a boat in the marina - this time its on GlenRosa, cos Jimi's changing it over for the winter.
Arrive at footie ground 10minutes late, having spent 3quid on a burger not fit for consumption by the family hound. Watch - no - tolerate 80minutes of schoolboy standard football, listening to the home fans boo their own team at the end.
Back to ferry, across to Hythe, and get home 2 hours later. Graciously accept bollocking for being an hour overdue - because we are supposed to be at friends for a meal and mah jong - they were not too bothered - a great evening, even though I only had one decent score.
Sunday morning - retrieve ball of sail from car, and am pleased we have an L-shaped hallway in the house. The luff just about fits on the l bit, with the foot along the _ bit, with the leech sort of bundled on the corner. Manage to fold it with some semblence of order, and assess what has happened.
Then drive to Bath to visit ailing mother in hospital, credit card gets hit for a couple of hundred for Christmas shopping. On the return, broach the subject of a Scuttlebutt pre-Christmas get together. Will post seperately on this.
Now for the relevent bit.
Whilst I prefer the inmast furling, especially for just SWMBO and myself, ours is actually a Kemp add-on to the original mast. The height of the topping lift is crucial when furling the sail away. I have now realised that on the previous outing I probably put some tension on the leech line, due to a minor 'flutter', then furled the sail without releasing it. I would also have tightened the topping lift, and probably got it too high. The result was an excess of cloth along the leech, with the leech line pulling it tight, hence the pleat and subsequent jam.
So moral of story is - check leech line AND topping lift prior to furling sail.
I now anticipate a tirade of posts about why inmast furling is a bad thing etc etc, - yawn, yawn !
<hr width=100% size=1>I can't be bothered with a footnote - it's usually rubbish anyway.<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by BIGNICK on 28/11/2004 20:28 (server time).</FONT></P>
