Julian,
I enjoyed looking at your website and ideas for the Bay Cruiser layout.
In regards to stowing the main, with the yard along the boom, have you considered using a set of lazy jacks, running down from the mast head to possibly 2 points on either side of the boom?
They would need to run back down the mast and to a cleat so they could be tensioned for furling or slacked while sailing. Tensioning would act as a topping lift on the boom and would cradle the yard and sail.
Possibly Tony has done this on the CB Lugger. Tony? What do you do for main furling?
Hi, Bill + Julian.
Yes, the Four Sisters has lazy jacks controlled by a jam cleat in reach of the cockpit, to keep the yard inboard when lowering the main. (Other sail controls are two rows of slab reefing points and a dipping line rigged diagonally from the fore end of the yard to the aft end of the boom.
As you know the CBL is basically a Storm19 with a lid - but the mast is moved forward and the standard rig replaced with a balanced lug.
Now perhaps this doesn't point as high as a triangular sail and perhaps my tacking angles need slimming down a bit (- and deploying the roller furling jib the way I have it set up at the moment is a bit of a hassle - I might yet have to fit a bowsprit to make the dipping line redundant) but I wouldn't swap it. One minute you can be running or reaching at 6 knots and the next lying quietly enough to take photos of passing wildlife, search for something in a locker or just roll a fag in peace. All you do is haul the mizzen in tight and let go the main sheet! No flogging canvas, or drama of any sort. She rounds up into the wind and rides over anything that comes her way like a duck. Reefing is just as trouble free. When head to wind, ease off the halyard (or the downhaul!) and take up your reef. then re-tension everything, slacken off the mizzen, back the main to bear off by pushing the boom briefly into the wind, and off you go. Everything is controlled from the cockpit and easy for a single hander.
Dropping the Main is a bit more fun. Yank in the mizzen again and when head to wind let go the halyard. On a good day it all ends up on the cabin top in about 2 seconds flat, and all you do then is leap on it with a couple of sail ties in your teeth and lash it down to the Stbd hand rail. I don’t use the lazy jacks as a topping lift because on a bad day a wayward gust of wind might get under the sail when its half down, the yard hangs up and the peak ends up going over the side. I want that boom and yard secured as quickly as possible! Most of the nasty tricks can be avoided by a good grip on the pennant when it gets within reach! The yard (a carbon fibre spar) is light but has enough weight to bring the sail down on its own. The high peaked gaff on the BayRaider/Cruiser I presume will do the same job when the halyard is let go?
The balanced lug has its faults but it really is a very powerful and handy sail. You can see why it was so popular with working boats.
