Traditional Furler

[rcvesselstyn]

The wind had piped up substantially, and she realized that she had waited too long to drop that Jenny. The 43 footer was being overpowered and the seas were starting to kick up badly. Our friend Peggy Slater was on the last leg of her solo sail from California to Hawaii. She clipped on and went up forward to drop the sail. The sail was flailing her as she brought it down. She lost her footing and she and the sail went over the side. The harness brought her up short and the sail blanketed her against the bow. She was trapped like that for 11 hours. Every time the boat healed she was underwater. She did survive. When I talked to her about it later she laughed and said she was the first woman to sail through the Hawaiian Islands underwater.

When you've been sailing for any length of time you reach that point. You are getting a great sail. The wind keeps increasing and darn it, you should have dropped that head sail sooner. You head for the foredeck and struggle with bringing the sail down. The boat hits a trough and you levitate off the deck. The foredeck shifts a foot to starboard as you land on the sail and the crest of the next swell breaks over your head. Great to relive old times.

Bringing the jib down on a calm day.

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I have roller furling now and I don't miss swapping out head sails. But Erik and JD have bought a Cal 25 with no roller furling. I know what they're in for. I offered to add a simple traditional furler that would cut the foredeck work in half.

A 'D' ring slipped on to the top sail snap, light line to a base mounted block.

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The line led aft using blocks on stanchions and a cam cleat, like roller furling.

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Using the furling line in conjunction with the aft led jib halyard.

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Using the furling line, halyard, and the sheets you can drop the sail to the deck and hold it there, all from the cockpit. A short trip to the foredeck to throw some bungee cords around the sail and you are done. If we were expecting the wind to increase we would have the working jib already hanked on below the Genoa. You just need to unsnap the Genoa feed it down the deck hatch and raise the working jib. Nothing really new here but it is surprising to still see so many sailors struggling with the jib.

[pbnelson]

Great post! Thanks for this.

I have an aftermarket roller furler on my '69 CAL-34, so that's nice. But I also have this odd stainless-steel wire-cable halyard (not shown). I've often wondered what it's for? And not to hijack this awesome thread, but it is a related question...

Does anyone think that the my wire-halyard could be used as a stay for a storm staysail? I found this photo of the foredeck that shows the anchor point (it is currently being used to secure the river/mud anchor).

[rcvesselstyn]

Its difficult to see the padeye on the foredeck, but really the first question is do you need a storm staysail. When fellow sailors have asked me in the past how their boat was rigged or how it should be rigged my goto answer is it doesn't matter. Rigging it up the way someone else wanted or needed it to be does not mean it will be right for you. If you already have the sail setting up a rig to use it only makes sense if you need it. As far as the halyard we could make all kinds of guesses based on its cable, if it is run through a mast sheave or a separate block. Is it at the top of the mast or part way up? It is unlikely that it would serve as a stay as that would require a separate halyard for raising the staysail. More likely the sail would have a integral cable.
One of the first things I tackle on our boats is redoing the running rigging. I know how and where we sail, and we know what works for us. If what is existing works well for us that's great, but it doesn't feel right we change it.
The same goes for the sails. We use used sails and just swap them out till we find the right setup. We went through four headsails before we found the 165 roller that we love.
Bottom line, don't work too hard figuring out what was, make the boat your own.

[pbnelson]

Thank's for the feedback. Do I need a storm staysail? Almost certainly not, as I'm just day-sailing on Lake Pepin with my wife and our four kids and assorted friends. But I do already have the staysail so it would be fun to play.

As for rigging it the way that's right for me? Well, this upcoming season will be exactly my third season as a sailor, and the '69 CAL-34 is my first sailboat... so, as a bonified NUB, I'm really just trying to figure out what my options are.

I can't remember whether the wire halyard is fractional or masthead, and the boat is on the hard under wraps right now, but in a month or so I should be able to clarify; perhaps it's just meant to be a topping lift for the spinnaker pole? That's another thing I've never used.

I think what really turns my crank more than anything else is the thought of having both the genoa and the staysail rigged at the same time - for no real reason other than to look cool and have fun.

p.s. I have a spinnaker, too, and also a trysail, in addition to the staysail - never used any of 'em!

[rcvesselstyn]

Well by all means you should try them all !

Just some notes on each sail/line you mentioned. The wire halyard, probably not a topping lift for the spinnaker pole. Cable is used when stretch is critical, topping lift not so much. It could be a duplicate jib halyard, check if you have two slots in your roller furler track. Two halyards would allow you to raise a second jib behind the one flying for a fast sail change or cruising wing and wing with two jibs. The staysail: is it hank on, cable luff, or a foil? That will tell you how to fly it. Usually a Spinnaker staysail will be lightweight with a small luff line, no hanks. The deck eye appears to be pretty far forward to use as a lead for a genoa staysail. The spinnaker: the deck eye would be for the foreguy block. Most boats have a track so the eye's location can be adjusted. We don't fly a Spinnaker anymore so we use a snatch block on the eye and lead the windward Genoa sheet through to act as a foreguy for the whisker Pole downwind.
Good luck and have fun trying it all out!

[pbnelson]

If I recall correctly, the staysail is hank-on (it's buried upstairs in a box in the attic at the moment). But, now I'm second-guessing whether it's a staysail or just the prior/old jib, which was replaced by the new genoa when the roller furler was added. Maaaaaybe?

Anyway, as soon as the weather gets just a little bit nicer I'm going to go out to the boat with a camera and take a lot of pictures of the rigging, plus the full suit of sails, then start a new thread here asking the question, "What's all this sail/rigging stuff?". I look forward to hearing everyone's input, as informed by clearer photographic details.