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Friday 30th June 06
..another pic here, showing my new mainsail cover Friday 30th June 06 Anyway - glorious weather. Remove the compass from the bulkhead and fluid is pouring out of it - couldn't even post it off like that. So take off the back - can't resist the excuse to investigate ! With the weather providing that rare, rare thing at Uphill - virtually no breeze - I took the chance to sort out the mainsail. I've sorted out a system for raising the main from the cockpit - just to facilitate the initial hoist, when single handed. I'll sort out a sketch of this soon. Basically, the external halyard comes down to an open sided fairlead and open camcleat, at head height on the mast. This is on a plate, arranged to be in line with a single turning block at the mast base. From there, there is a straight lead through under the sprayhood to the cockpit. The halyard is cleated only at the mast. I am considering a short loop at the boom end to a single block at the end of the topping lift, with a stopper knot. When the knotted end is pulled down, the boom raises and sets the lift on, it could then be clipped to near the end of the traveller - this gives you a bridle, if the mainsheet is run to the other end of the traveller - locking the boom in situ, and at the same time putting the topping lift on. You can then set a reef in at the mast, with the boom under control, adjust the halyard at the mast - then release the lift back in the cockpit. Does that all make sense ! Another possibility with the main halyard set up - is if you envisage wanting to drop the main quickly, single handed - then you could leave the halyard just in the camcleat, flip it out of the fairlead, pull it out of the block, leading the loose halyard back over the sprayhood, etc to the cockpit - where a quick tug outward would release it. This I will have to try out. Having said all that, the main seems to glide up with little effort - it's slugs, and they were all new when the main was refurbed with the third reef - so I think it will come down easily. Also - had the chance now to try my new mainsail cover I made, from the old pattern. Fitted very nicely - see pic above. |