What is this line on my main sail?
- Thread starter bellnier
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That's a leech line. You need to insert the line back into that lower tabling so you can take advantage of it when the Main is not reefed. The leech line is used to remove that small fluttering that you get on the leech of the sail and it improves sail performance. You'll want to pull it until the sail just stops fluttering, and then lock it on the small clam cleat or leach buttons.
Your mast and boom, (spars) are a lot different than mine. You probably have Dwyer Spars with the external halyards whereas I have Z-Spar with internal halyards in the mast and internal control lines in my boom. My goose neck fitting is fixed to the mast. There is no tack down haul, but I do have a Ram's head (reefing hook) under my goose neck fitting. I don't see one on your mast so I really don't know what they had in mind for holding the reefing cringle on your sail luff to the mast and boom. What I can see in both of your pictures is that what you are using for your topping lift is probably for your reefing. I think that you need to use something else for your topping lift and use another line to attach to a bail under your boom and run up the starboard side of your mainsail leech, through the reefing cringle on the sail and down the Port side of the sail, through that single sheave and to the cleat on the Port side of your boom.
Your sail appears to be in need of reef points. I can't tell by the pic if there are grommets for these short pieces of ropes that are knotted on both sides of the sail. Also, your sail foot has a bolt rope that fits into the slot in the top of the boom, so you're going to need to tie up the rolled loose sail by passing the reef point ropes around the boom. So these reef point on your sail need to be long enough to be able to do that. My sail foot has sail slides and I'm able to pass the reef point ropes in between the sail and the top of the boom in order to tie my loose rolled up sail after reefing. There may be some kind of a provision on your mast under your goose fitting for a line to hold the luff reefing cringle down. I really don't know. Also, you may need to take two of your sail slides out of the mast track before you reef. I have been removing one on mine. The reef out haul can put too much stress on these slides if they are left in the track. Check out a book entitled "Sail Power" by Wallace Ross. It's probably in your local library. It has a lot of illustrations of various types of reefing. Once you acquire a basic understanding of reefing I think that you'll be able to come up with something that will be fast and easy. For now though, you could reef your mainsail with the old conventional reefing which only requires a rope for the tack cringle on the luff, and a rope for the leech cringle, but you will need to install the reef points on your mainsail to be able to roll up your loose sail and tie it with "reef knots". A "reef knot" is nothing but a slipped square knot and it works very similar to the "Highwayman's Hitch. I hope that I was able to help in some way. Here's a Youtube on reefing errors courtesy of Bob Mahar of Doyle Sails. Chech it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbXlEsrlo1s&feature=related
Perhaps I'll take a few pictures of my sail and spars this coming week and post them for you, or email me and I send you the pics direct. sailtrinkka1986@verizon.net I just bought a new Canon digital camera last week and I'm looking forward to using it.
Smooth Sailing!
Joe
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