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Conference unifix::sailing

Title:	SAILING
Notice:	Please read Note 2.* before participating in this conference
Moderator:	UNIFIX::BERENS

Created:	Wed Jul 01 1992
Last Modified:	Mon Jun 02 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	2299
Total number of notes:	20724

854.0. "Stalking the Wild Halyard" by SALEM::MCWILLIAMS () Tue May 31 1988 13:49

     Well we finally went into the water last Friday, and like all first
     trips of the season it had its moments.
     
     This year's screw-up occurred as we came out of Portsmouth to the open
     ocean, only to be greeted by a very quickening wind, and building
     waves. As I was standing on the foredeck with the main halyard shackle
     in one hand, and the main halyard in the other preparing to attach the
     halyard to the main, we took a very good pound into a wave causing me
     let go of the shackle while still hanging onto the halyard. 
     
     Of course the shackle end of the halyard went up about 10-12 feet
     and starting flying around the lee side of the boat. Since we have
     rope halyards there wasn't enough weight to cause the shackle end
     to come back down, and after playing with it for awhile all I managed
     to run the shackle end all the way up to the masthead. Where it
     will sit until I go after it in the bosun's chair.
     
     The question I have is there a way to prevent this from happening
     (other than the next time holding on to the shackle and letting
     go of the halyard end) ?
     
     I thought about adding some weight to the shackle end of the halyard
     so that letting go of the halyard end would cause the shackle to drop,
     but the down side would be if the shackle end flew free we would have
     a weighted missile flying around the deck.
     
     Anybody have any ideas ?
     
     /jim

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
854.1	safety line	EBBV01::MOUSE		`Tue May 31 1988 14:02`	12
	re .0: Jim, I have often contemplated this but so far have not had the bad fortune to lose the halyard. A possible solution is to use a light line attached one end to any convenient point on deck, the other to the shackle on the halyard. The length should be sufficient to not constrict any necessary movements. AFTER the halyard is secured to the sail, the line could be detached, allowing the sail to be hoisted freely. Of course, now there is one more line to trip over on deck. Steve
854.2	Shock Cord to the rescue ?	CHEFS::GOUGHP	Pete Gough @REO (7)-830-6603	`Wed Jun 01 1988 04:25`	13
	Jim, I am glad this happened to someone else.......... These days I attach the halyard to the main before casting off, the halyard is kept tight down by a piece of shock cord with a hook on one end which goes through the main halyard shackle and the other hooked on at the foot of the mast. The sail ties on the rest of the main keep the pressure from becomming too great. Hope this helps. /Pete
854.3	My favorite lost halyard story	3D::GINGER		`Wed Jun 01 1988 10:02`	19
	I think I read this in an old WoodenBoat article, or someother old magazine. One of the J boats (the real J's not the current plastic ones), I think it was Ranger, had a skipper that was a real stickler for neatness. On one occassion some minor repair work was being done aloft, by a man in a chair on a jib halyard. The skipper decided to send up a can of paint to touch up a couple spots. He opened the can, then laid the lid slightly back in place, sat it in a bucket, which he attached to the main halyard. . About half way up the mast he suddenly realized the weight of the down side of the halyard was now less than the weight of the upside and bucket. Of course the bucket accelerated to the top, the block jammed on the masthead sending the paint bucket in a nice arch up and over the spar top. At just that time the owner and the designer drove onto the dock in their shinny new car, providing the perfect landing spot for the paint. Loose halyards have always been a problem!
854.4	How not to hang the wash.	TOPDOC::AHERN	Dennis the Menace	`Tue Jun 07 1988 17:11`	10
	Then there was the landlubber guest who thought it a great joke to send one of the ladies' bikini top up the mast on the main halyard shackle. What made it decidedly unfunny was that there was no sail attached as the boat was rafted up with two others. Thus was this clown introduced to the bosun's chair.
854.5	only hold one...	ECURB::SARDESON	what is he doin' here??	`Thu Jun 09 1988 10:39`	24
	RE .0 >>> As I was standing on the foredeck with the main halyard shackle >>> in one hand, and the main halyard in the other preparing to attach the ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >>> halyard to the main, we took a very good pound into a wave causing me >>> let go of the shackle while still hanging onto the halyard. I put a U shaped shackle in the bottom of the main track and attach the end of the halyards to that. then when it is time to toss and pitch, i can hold on to the shackle end and forget the halyard end. this will not keep it from going up, but it leaves you will one less end to go up. Also, this makes gathering up the jib lots easier, because you don't have to hold the halyard. just let it go and run up to the forstay and gather. Bruce
854.6	prevention	VBV01::HJOHNSON		`Mon Jun 20 1988 22:34`	8
	Another preventative measure is to attach the halyard prior to getting underway and loop it under the winch on the mast used for raising. This keeps downward pressure and there are no shock cords to keep track of and stow. This will not work if you run your halyards aft
854.7	ONLY ONE END	LAGUNA::MILLMAN_JA		`Thu Aug 11 1988 19:02`	9
	THE FREE END OF THE HALYARD SHOULD HAVE A FIGURE "8" TIED AT THE END FOR INTERNAL HALYARDS. FOR EXTERNAL HALYARD THE FREE END SHOULD BE RUN THRU THE OPEN PART OF THE CLEAT BASE AND A FIGURE "8" TIED THIS ARRANGEMENT SHOULD BE PERMINATE. WHEN YOU GO FORWARD YOU HAVE ONLY ONE END TO CONTEND WITH EVEN TO THE EXTENT OF PUTTING YOU WEIGHT ON THE HALYARD SHOULD YOU LOOSE YOUR BALANCE. JAY