Sail battens

[gary]

When I purchased a new main sail for our H22 last year I specified I wanted the top two battens to be full. The sail came with the top two battens extending beyond the luff and into a pocket which "sticks" out (beyond the luff) approx. two inches. I understand this is so you can tension the batten according to your likes or dislikes, but was wondering if all fully battened sails have such a rig. This makes for miserable operation of raising and lowering the sail using my lazy jacks. I am considering shorting the batten and eliminating the "pocket" which extends beyond the edge of the sail. Any thoughts?
Thanx in advance.
garyg

 

[Capn Ellis]

My mainsail is fully battened but has no such pockets. The battens go from luff to leech.

 

[cephius (Dave)]

With lazy jacks and a full leech sail, the wind angle is critical when raising the main. I've had to wait on the wind and roll for the batten to be centered between the jack lines, then a quick heave on the halyard to clear. That was without the pocket protrusions your sail has. A pain, but with practice it gets easier.

The main is small enough that furling it is not hard. You might consider removing the lazy jack system.