Topping lift

[Doc_holiday]

I don't know what's standard on the Mac because of my "Frankenship" set-up but I hang my boom from the rear stay when not under sail. I have a spare halyard now and was thinking about what it's potential is other than just a spare for the main.

First as I thought of using to hoist the lifesling in an overboard scenario and then as a topping lift. What, short of not having to release the clip from the rear stay would be an advantage to using it as a topping lift? Seems to me, with a traveller, one could get the darn boom out of the way when going in and out of the companionway when working or loading the boat. Or one could lift the boom out of the way for headroom when not sailing.

 

[oldiesrocker2001]

I hang my boom from a pigtail on the backstay also, but only while the boat is idle or we've dropped the sail for a while underway. Even my modest V21 has the boom too much in the way of everything including the helmsman without the topping lift attached as the sail comes down to be wrapped. there are some cases when it might not be safe or convenient to hang the boom from the backstay while lowering or preparing to raise the sail. I think the spare halyard may be a bit too much and likely too long to conveniently use as a topping lift, though.

 

[Sumner]

We would have a hard time living without the topping lift and added it...

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/rigging-3.html

...before our first trip. It holds the boom up while reefing and like you said it....

...keeps the boom up and out of the way whenever we aren't actually sailing.

I secure the boom over to the side by running the traveler over to one side and then also connecting a preventer line that is on that side to the boom bail that I leave cleated off at a certain length if we haven't been using it. I raise the boom with the topping lift and pull the mainsheet tight. With the two bottom lines angled in different directions and the topping lift pulling up the boom stays up and out of the way off to one side and isn't swinging around all night. Just takes a minute to do the above.

Later I added...

a second block, bottom left arrow, at the chickenhead for an uphaul line for the anchor sail.

you can see all of the lines...

...in the photo above,

Sum

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