I wondered what people do with their mainsails when they take them down.
There is a lot of sailcloth to deal with when sailing singlehanded, and when you don't have a mainsail handling system like a lazy jack or some sort of stacking system to drop it into it can get quite exciting trying to flake it down onto the boom.
I tend to take the sail off the halyard and roll it up from the top and tie it onto the boom with sail ties and elastics before putting the cover on, but I wondered what others are doing with their mainsails.
I suppose the answer is to go for lazy jack system eventually, maybe that will be my next winter job? :)
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Paul
[Ex 'Crackerjack' - 26M]
I don't think I'd even contemplate single-handing without lazy-jacks. I rigged lazy jacks on mine when I first got it (3 years ago), there's no need to buy an expensive lazy-jack kit, you can use quite simple stuff. There's quite a few easy ways to do it, try searching the web for ideas. My first system used a fair bit of bungee cord, which saved having to tighten and loosen them for lowering and raising the sail. It will hold the sail gathered for long enough for you to get on deck and wrap sail ties around it.
Since then I splashed out on a stack-pack, which of course connects to lazy jacks, and that is absolute luxury by comparison! I can't recommend it enough.
Rick Jones (Treasurer), former 26X & 19 owner, Isle of Wight
We have a C&J sail cover and lazy jacks, makes raiseing and dropping the sail easier even with two of you out at sea, we run the main sail halyard to he cockpit and the lazy jack lines to the cockpit end of the boom, this way you can rasise the sail without leaving the cockpit and adjust the lazy lines if the snag a batton without going uo deck (as we have a spray hood its not easy to get in deck without lowering it) plus safer whn out in the cold North sea .....
Rick, it sounds like a perfect subject for an article in the magazine :D Maybe even a bulk buy of zip up sail covers and bits of rope/bungy rubber cut to size.
How about it? ;)
Paul
[Ex 'Crackerjack' - 26M]
I'm on it Paul.. keep the faith ;)
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice; In practice, there is.