Lowering Sails

[Tom Atkins]

Hey folks,I sail a 22' full sloop in the Gulf and I often go out alone. I can get both sails up okay from the cockpit with one hand on the tiller/outboard keeping me into the wind. My problem is that when I start back to the channel and want to lower the sails - they often don't fall completely to the deck. This leaves me half sailed/half blind in close quarters in rough channel water. I want both sails to fall 'DOWN' to the deck so I can secure the boom and see where I'm going. I don't even mind if part of the sails are in the water. I've tried all kinds of bungee cords on the tiller but my boat is so small that I can't leave the cockpit without it spinning, etc. I even tried running small lines up the hanks/mast to the sail tops so I could pull the sails down from the tiller. This works good but I hate the extra lines blowing around and interfering while sailing. I like to sail in rough water/wind. The jibs are 'hanked' on and the main has fiberglass 'T's that fit into the mast. Any suggestions-thanks

 

[JB]

Dropping sails

Have your rigger install lazy jacks. (small lines down from mast that connect under boom and should retrack when not in use, the sail falls right into them and folds). There is a website called EZJAX that are ready made. However I've been trying to order from them and they seem very unreliable. They never answer emails or telephone calls, so I'm reluctant to give them a credit card number. However there are probably other sites, or contact a rigger.

 

[Calif. Ted]

Have you lubed the track on the mast with a

dry lube like Sailkote ? Not sure on your boat but bigger sails will drop under their own weight if the sail slugs & track are well lubed. They only drop halfway when they need lubing.

 

[Bob F]

Halyard size

Consider a smaller diameter halyard. I replaced mine with a stronger/smaller line and it works great. Less friction.

 

[Seattle Scott]

Tom seems like you have exhausted

the running rigging solution. What about a tiller pilot from Simrad, so you can motor into the wind while you beat your sails into submission?JB, What/where is MDR? There is boat at my dock in Seattle with a MDR homeport and I could never never figure this out.

 

[OldCat]

Tie Tiller to Boom

If you tie the tiller to the boom with a short line, then the mainsail will tend to hold the bow directly into the wind - this will work with the OB running at a modest speed - not so fast the apparent wind is on your nose whichever way you go - just enough power to maintain steerage under power. If the boat falls off, the mainsail and tiller go the same direction, and the rudder steers you back head to wind.This will let you get the jib down, while the boat self steers. On a small boat it should also allow you to get the main down as well - when the main gets too low to be affected by the wind and self steering stops, you can just move the boom by hand to steer the tiller while you flake and tie off the main.I used to do this on a J22 when I was out with my youngest son. But now he can steer so I just have him do so while I tend the sails.If this is not enough explanation - I'll draw some pictures and post them.OC

 

[Tejas]

EZJAX

EZJAX does seem to be a bit difficult to deal with, but I think it is worth the effort. The value of EZJAX is that the sail cover does not require modification.Harken offers lazyjacksthat utilize blocks. EZJAX use rings which on our 36' boat are satisfactory.

 

[captain dave]

lube

Lube Baby, just lube. Sailkote by McClube. Also, you might try sheeting in the jib, backwind it, then drop it.

 

[Homero]

Oops

MDR = Marina Del Rey.

 

[RichH]

Lube the sail track .....

Totally agree with Captn Dave. Use any commercial (non sticky) sail track lube. Sometimes best in cool climates, rub a simple paraffin candle into the sail track and on the slugs/slides. If you have slugs, for continued application of the wax - 'whittle'/carve a 2" long piece of wax and install it between the top two uppermost slugs ... as this will 'lube' the track every time the sail goes up or down. Clean all the crud out of the sailtrack and off the slides/slugs before waxing/lubing. Dont use 'greasey' lubricants from a hardware store. 

 

[OldCat]

Will the Main Sail Drop If?

Will the main sail drop if the track is well lubed and the boat is not more or less head to wind? I do not know - it is a question. Will it still work on asmaller boat with a lighter sail? As I sail mostly charter boats - I have to deal with it however the boat is rigged or condition.For a boat with a tiller - the trick of tying off the tiller to the boom will work to keep the boat head to wind - just play with the lines and sheeting and the boat will stay in irons.A 13 year old who has been sailing a few years also helps! We proved that this evening when a rain squall changed direction and ran over us - he took the helm and held the boat luffed up while I got the main down. I think it is easier to get main sail down if you get the boat head to wind - but am I being influenced by the worn nature of the chartered boats I sail? Will lube and a smooth track bring the sail even if loaded up by the wind?TIA for answers on this,OC

 

[Joe]

single handing

I'm assuming both halyards are led back to cockpit. If not, that's your first project.First suggestion, straddle the tiller and steer with your knees. I do that all the time and I have an autopilot. Second, rig your jib down haul with a cleat in the cockpit so you can snug it up after the jib is raised, then it won't flop around. It also helps keep the jig from bouncing while you're motoring out, so the halyard won't get fouled.Third, lace some cord between the lifelines and the deck, from the pulpit back to the second stanchion on each side to keep the jib from sliding off the deck.Fourth, try dropping the jib in the shadow of the main as you're sailing downwind. Steer with the tiller between your knees, one hand for the halyard, one for the downhaul, trying to control the drop between the life lines. This also works well head to wind.Fifth, dropping the main...it's much easier to find a calm area. With the jib down and the motor on, head up into the wind, steering with your knees, just release the halyard and let her drop. If the slugs stick in the track, put the motor in neutral so the boat will drift into the wind without rounding up right away. Grab a sail tie, and run up to the mast, making sure the halyard is free, then pull the remaining sail down from the luff. Bundle the sail and tie it to the boom. Go back to the cockpit and tie off the back part of the sail from there. The idea is to get it bundled up so you can see. Once you're safely moored, you can re hoist and flake the sail properly.Tom, I advise you to always find a calm place to drop the main, rather than in a busy. choppy channel. I've sailed right into my dock with the main luffing, holding the sheet in my hand, steering with my knees. If you feel it drawing, just ease the sheet to control your speed.Acouple of skills to develop is sailing in and out of your slip (no motor) and steering without the tiller, using sails and crew weight placement to control the vessel.

 

[Benny]

Nothing wrong with stopping the boat.

Depower the sails point into the wind and let the boat coast to a near stop. Engine on, but in neutral. Go forward and drop the jib and tie to the rail. Then go to the mast and pull the main down and tie to boom. When you are ready get in the cockpit, shift engine into gear and motor on. If your channel is narrow and busy drop your sails out away from traffic or you may sail in and drop them inside.

 

[Bill Ogilvie]

Use a long gasket

I sailed a Catalina 22 for 2 years and now have a 27' sloop. The Catalina had all the lines led aft for "easy" single handed sailing but it was often a struggle getting the sails down, out of the water, and tied down so they don't act like sails. Lashing the tiller down or using an autopilot helps a lot. I always take the jib down first and try to get the cover on it right away to reduce windage. The jib halyard has to be removed to keep the jib down. To take the main down in a blow I uncleat the main halyard, leaving 30' of it loose at the base of the mast and recleat it. Then I turn into the wind and let the sail drop. I tighten the main sheet and use a long (6 foot) gasket to tie the main down. Using a single long gasket is a lot faster than using two or three regular ones.

 

[MerSea]

All these tips are

good,but I go with Benny + wear a PFD .Phil

 

[Dick Westwood]

Tillerlock, lube, downhaul

As you can see, I advocate a 3-part solution. I use these on my 20-footer, which I single hand constantly, and have never had a problem yet. It's a simple, inexpensive approach that will work perfectly for you, and you can easily do all the rigging modifications/additions in a couple of hours at the dock.1. Get yourself a Cansail Tillerlock. Beautiful metal device - stainless steel and brass - that locks your tiller to a 5/16 line you install across the boat. Only about $33 US (mailordered from Canada). Available at the link below. I highly recommend this product: greatly superior to the US equivalents. Cansail is also selling them on ebay if you prefer to look there.The Tillerlock will eliminate your need to control the tiller while performing the other maneuvers. You just flip the lever and the tiller is locked into whatever position you need it. Flip the lever again and the tiller's released. Couldn't be simpler. And you'll find that 'freedom from having to control the tiller' is the most important part of solving your problem.Next:2. Aerosol dry lubricant for the main's track. You can get it, for example, at West Marine. Spray on twice and you have a 'permanently' lubricated track. (They recommend using a solvent to clean the track first. I didn't and still got a good result.) You can't get all the way up the track without going aloft or stepping the mast. But that's ok: your main problems with dropping the main are going to be with bringing down 'the last bit' of it - in other words, the lower part of the track that you can get to easily already.This way, your main will come down really easily. (It'll also hoist more easily too.) I roll mine quickly and bungee it to the boom while out on the water. I then flake it properly when back at the dock. 3. Rig a downhaul for the headsail. Here's how. Install a small block at the base of the headstay. Use a narrow diameter line - 1/8 or so. You'll need a lot of it: the length of your headstay, plus the length from the headstay base to the cockpit, plus 3-4 feet to be on the safe side. Bowline the line to the head of the headsail. Pass it down through the hanks on your jib, then through the block, and back to the cockpit. (I cleat it there, but you don't really need to.)The downhaul will 'go up' with the jib when you hoist. When you want to drop sail, head into the wind (so that the jib will drop onto the deck rather than over the side!) Release the jib halyard, bring in the downhaul: down the sail comes.Use these three simple approaches, and you'll be able to drop sail comfortably from the cockpit even in heavy chop.BTW: I completely concur with Joe. If you haven't led your halyards back to the cockpit: do that too! Stay in the cockpit when you're singlehanding in those rough waters: you don't want to go to the mast or, worse, the headstay.Dick

 

[oldiesrocker2001]

Downhaul

For a non-furling jib on my smaller 17' boat the downhaul was the only way to go. On the newer (only 30 yrs old) 21' boat, I had a new jib that had plastic clips-twist and it's hanked on-twist the opposite way and it's off instead of snap clips on the forestay. The downhaul didn't work effectively at all with these newer clips and I eventually went to roller furling. Well worth spending what I paid for the whole boat(It was pretty beat-up) in having a fool-proof system installed. The main went to plastic slugs, which I assume you already have, tom. Although I started to use dry lube on my main tracks while i was still set up with bolt-rope hanking style main, and continued with the addition of slide slugs, the last few slugs still need to be brought in by hand at the clew. This requires me to motor into the wind and lock the tiller if alone. My american-made tiller tamer does not do a great job of holding course when my movement forward apparently throws the boat's balance off and I've seen it do a complete circle before I neaten up the main at the mast. I never had this problem with my older boat, but the PO installed the tiller lock on my current boat and could be the cause. I just don't want to reposition the lock and jam cleats and fill in the resultant holes at the moment...

 

[Steve]

Stop the boat

I used to do lake sailing by myself in a Santana 21. I admit I wasn't dealing with a constricted channel, but what I would do is find a lee shore and drop my anchor. The boat would naturally point into the wind. I would then raise the sails, pull up anchor and bear off. At the end of the day, I would reverse the process. You could do this if you had an out of the way place to anchor. May seem a little hokie, but it is an option. I also used a "centepede cord" which is a long bungie that goes from the gooseneck to the end of the boom and has bungie arms that wrap around the sail. See Figure 3 on the attached web site.

 

[Dick Westwood]

downhauls with plastic hanks

Tom:oldiesrocker201 raises a real concern regarding a downhaul with twist-on plastic hanks.My jib also has plastic hanks, but they aren't twist on: they must have a spring inside because they work pretty much like metal hanks - you pull a little tab to open them; the spring then closes them. (My genoa has metal hanks, and they work better than the plastic, which tend to jam in the open position.)I guess the principle is: downhauls work well with plastic hanks, but not with the twist-on variety.Dick

 

[Dick Westwood]

Gerr downhaul

While on the subject of jib downhauls: there's a variation called the Gerr downhaul. I've put a link to an article on it. Basically, the line for this type of downhaul passes through the clew of the sail in addition to head and tack. It is supposed to 'roll' your jib up when you lower it - so you won't have an issue with the sail wanting to go overboard as you head for the dock. Also, if you don't loosen the halyard, a Gerr allows you to dowse the jib while still flying the sail - it pulls the jib into the forestay until you want to release it.I tried this on my boat. It didn't work well: there seemed to be too much friction of line against sail. The Gerr line would jam halfway. (I was also concerned about the wear effect on the sail of all of that friction.) So I went the simpler route, and just rigged the downhaul I explained in an earlier post: works really well for me.Still, the Gerr system is interesting, potentially very valuable if you can get it to work on your boat - and a number of sailors apparently are very happy with it. You might want to take a look at it.