How to drop the main ALL the way down ???

[Bob Lufkin]

When dropping the sail on my Catalina 30 it seems to all come down except the last 5 feet or so. Going forward to tug down the last few feet is not something I enjoy when sailing solo. Anyone have any ideas?Bob

 

[Tom La Roche]

Hauldown

Two possibilities immediately come to mind. First, is the fact that you may simply need to lubricate the sail track and cars, so that gravity can do it's work. Second, is to connect a downhaul line, to pull that darn sail all the way down, since it insists on getting hung up. Smooth sailing.

 

[Bayard Gross]

I use a main downhaul

On my C-22 I use a main down haul to get the main sail down that last several feet. This is because I sail alone a lot and I like to affix sail ties standing inside the cabin on the table, which is in its lowered position.Further, this down haul doubles as a means to retreive the halyard when you stupidly, though infrequently, forget to attach the main. This has saved the day a couple of times.I attach this down haul to the snap halyard shackle pin and then to the second from top sail slug leaving a loose line between the slug and the shackle pin so that when I pull down on the halyard, the pin is not pulled and thereby opens the shackle.Finally, I lead this line back to the cockpit where it is secured by a lance cleat which allows me to stifen the line when sailing.

 

[Marshall Stiles]

Haul it down from the cockpit

To get the main down all the way without going forward would require the installation of a downhaul. A light line from head of the main sail (near the top lugs) to a block at the base of the mast then to the cockpit might work. Leave the line slack with the end secured, except when you want to pull down on the head of the sail. This can be rigged for any sail.