| You've just motored out to a clear spot in the | | | | Hook a Block to the Stem-head at the Bow |
| river and get ready to raise the mainsail. You hoist | | | | Shackle a fairlead block to the stemhead (the |
| the head of the mainsail up the mast--and the | | | | fitting that the bottom of the headstay attaches |
| halyard breaks free! | | | | to). Use one of the holes aft of the hole used by |
| Now you are in a mess, as the halyard flails back | | | | the headstay. |
| and forth, five feet out of reach. Learn to sail like | | | | Test Your Mainsail and Headsail Retrieval Lines |
| a pro when you use a simple, little-known | | | | Raise your mainsail on a a calm day in the slip or |
| technique that will keep this from ruining your | | | | at the pier. Slack the retrieval line as you hoist the |
| sailing day! | | | | head of the mainsail. Some sailing skippers like to |
| Before you get underway, rig a simple halyard | | | | attach a small block to the base of the mast to |
| retrieval line for your mainsail and headsail | | | | run the mainsail retrieval line aft to the cockpit. |
| halyards. That will allow you to haul the halyard | | | | You can also use the line to help haul the mainsail |
| down if it parts, or breaks loose when hoisting | | | | down after sailing. |
| any sailboat sail. Follow these three easy steps: | | | | Raise your Genoa or jib to the top of the sailboat |
| Measure Your Mast and Headstay | | | | mast. Feed the line through the block and aft |
| Use small diameter, three-strand nylon or Dacron | | | | back to the cockpit. Your headstay retrieval line |
| line. For the mainsail halyard, make the line length | | | | can pull double-duty as "haul-down" line to help you |
| equal to the sailboat mast, plus enough to reach | | | | lower the Genoa or jib. |
| the base of the mast to tie it off to a cleat. For | | | | Mark Your Cleat Spots on Each Retrieval Line |
| the headsail, make the line length equal to the | | | | Make sure to keep each line slack so that it does |
| headstay, plus enough to reach back to the | | | | not interfere with sail shape. Use a marker to |
| cockpit and tie off to a cockpit boat cleat. | | | | show the "cleat off" spot on each retrieval line. |
| Splice an Eye Above the Halyard Shackle | | | | That way, you know that your lines are set to |
| Form a tight, small eye in each halyard just above | | | | the correct spot and ready to use in an instant. |
| the halyard shackle. Avoid the temptation to splice | | | | Use these five easy tips to learn to sail better |
| to the shackle, because the eye could slip off of | | | | and with less effort. Boost your sailing skipper |
| the shackle when retrieving. Cover the bitter ends | | | | skills to the next level with these time and effort |
| of your splice with three or four tight wraps of | | | | saving sailing tips--wherever in the world you |
| riggers tape. This will prevent the ends from | | | | choose to go sailing. |
| fraying in the high winds at the head of the mast. | | | | |