Shorthanded halyard hoist tip

[hoppy]

I was having a sticky beak at a SF3200 at my club and noticed that it has a cam cleat on the side of the mast. I quickly realised that it's a fantastic idea for anyone who hoists a headsail or spinnaker solo or short handed.

On my old boat when hoisting those sails solo, I would haul them up by hand at the mast, then tie the halyard around a cleat. Then I would go to the cockpit to pull all the loose line through the clutch before returning to the mast to remove the line from the cleat. Then I'd return to the cockpit......

With the cam cleat, the procedure would be to lock off the halyard in the cam cleat then go to the cockpit, pull through the loose line. Then when you tension the halyard, it will come out of the cam cleat. Great idea...

[sitara]

Hoppy, the 36i has provision for a rope clutch on the port side of the mast presumably to assist in raising the main or headsail. It is not fitted on my boat and I never missed it. Great idea for the spinnaker though.

[hoppy]

Jul 30, 2019 22:23:21 GMT sitara said:

Hoppy, the 36i has provision for a rope clutch on the port side of the mast presumably to assist in raising the main or headsail. It is not fitted on my boat and I never missed it. Great idea for the spinnaker though.

My SO40 had a jammer for the headsail halyard, but I had to haul the halyard and then pull it through the jammer. No big deal in the marina when putting the sail on the furler at the end of the season.

I have a spare cam cleat that would be perfect for this. Just need a boat to fit it to...

[zaphod]

Having a halyard cleat on the mast is common on smaller race boats. It is far faster and easier to jump the halyard at the mast rather than haul or grind it from the cockpit. Often it is just a cam cleat, and it is important to get the load to the main clutches right away,

My boat has a spinlock clutch on the mast for the jib, which is useful occasionally, however I find it less useful when I want to adjust halyard tension while sailing. I don't dare leave it unlocked lest a stray sheet hook it and snap it off!