winter halyard storage
we attach a 3/16 nylon line to the halyard-thru the eye- and haul it up to thte masthead so all but the shackle end is protected inside the mast. the light lines for all of our halyards are brought forward and tightly wrapped around the forestay so they don't slap or chafe. in the spring, we bring the halyard down, inspect, wash, and use. If the halyard end were damaged, I'd cut it off and resplice. the halyard could also be swapped end for end if there's significant wear, since the tail really isn't used after the sail is up.