Bringing your reef lines and main halyard back to the cockpit

[TT5952]

I'm an ol' fart with limited mobility and balance trying to make my boat safe to sail until I'm 75 or 80. One of the big issues is how to reef when the wind comes up. By the time you need to reef, it is not all that comfortable to be up on deck.

Has anyone brought the reef lines and main halyard back to the cockpit?
Can anyone post or email pictures of their layout?
Does anyone have any advice or cautions?

On another note, the tall ships came to Duluth this weekend. It was awesome! I always thought that if I would see them, I'd have to fly out to the East coast.

 

[Joseph Shirley]

Not very good pictures but

at this time I only have my Main, Genoa, and one Spinnaker halyards and my genoa roller furling lines led aft. They go through downhaul blocks through side fairlead blocks through my dodger and rope clutches, to a self tailing winch on either side of my companionway top.. My winches are further aft than the pads provided by Irwin because I wanted to leave enough room to turn a winch handle with the dodger in place.

Have fun

Joe S

 

[TT5952]

Thanks for the picture, Joe.

Do you have any of the base of the mast where the lines turn the corner? Were you able to make that turn with one block or did it take two; one at the base of the mast and another further out to turn the line back?

 

[Joseph Shirley]

Here is another poor picture

Note that at this time I only had the two halyards (main & Genoa), and my futling line led aft. Each halyard has its own downhaul block which you can't really see. I have since run my port spinnaker halyard aft but my stbd one is still at the mast (I have to replace it with a longer halyard before I can run it aft. This pict was taken in La Paz Mexico with my sun shade up.

Good luck

Joe S