Hi all,
WOW! Thanks a million for your responses. And so quick, but then that is the benefit of having such knowledge accumulated by those willing hands down under, and early risers here in the north! I am very much reassured.
The mast is built to PJR spec, with Arne's input. I'm happy that it looks pretty heavy although it's not much over the specification recommended. It is clean locally-grown D Fir, tho quite fast grown, laminated in 60 mm boards the full width.
I was looking at the sling point(s) and thinking I had overcooked Arne’s suggestion of keeping it aft of the 50% mark. As has been pointed out, the angle between the halyard and the mast is too much. I see now that the forces should be much more vertical than they are. I may have also put a bit of LHP tension on too soon which will have accentuated the problem, as Arne said. I will try a bit of YHP before touching anything else. I need to look up PJR’s chapter on handling the rig – what complete joy to be at this stage!! Presumably the sling point should not be less than halfway along the yard, especially of designed to be further aft than that?
It does look like a bit of a muddle of rope in the photo. The “funnies” are the spare halyard leading forward and the two topping lifts which I led right aft to the quarters to limit the swing of the sail. I have rigged the YHP and LHP and they are operating beautifully. Most creases decrease (!) when the LHP is tensioned a bit. I need to get the YHP block off the side of the yard rather than the top where it was easiest to rig, I order to improve the lead to the deck block.. The (5:1) halyard is slung at two points as per Arne's very straightforward method, lashings round the spar. The lead looks pretty fair at the moment, but I’m able to change that easily. I wasn't planning on fitting a tack parrel until we find out if it's required.
BTW David, I opted for the 5:1 rather than 3:1 we were going to fit when you were with me, as my inclination is to reduce reliance on the winch as much as poss. I had no bother hoisting to this point while standing on deck at the mast – old habits!!! Actually I could see what was happening better from there. When I led it back to the cockpit to see what it felt like with most of the sail up, it felt like harder work, but then as Annie once pointed out standing in your cockpit pulling horizontally is not as easy for the human frame as heaving straight down. Even the winch felt heavy. That said, standing at the mast, with these very free running blocks it felt quite like hauling up ANNIE’s 2 gaff halyards together (which didn’t have very free blocks). At the masthead the double is on the crane away from the mast and the single is closer in to the mast with a long shackle. I’m confident that this arrangement will work OK when squared away on a run. We’ll see in a few days… The blocks look as if they'll be fine together, but the pin of the inner shackle may chafe on the mast a bit when running, so I may need to fit some protection there.
Graham's point about the reefed sail being on the sturdier part of the mast is particularly reassuring! Graham there isn’t any tension on that thing that looks like a rope forestay. It’s just the spare halyard as recommended by David when he was with me, for flag or emergency access to the masthead, or for a headsail: With great care I plan to fly a feather weight running or reaching sail from this to the bowsprit end, if there's a slop and not enough breeze to fill the mainsail. The wind yesterday was quite fluky but mostly over the port quarter about F3. Too much for the job. When I first hoisted in the pouring rain it was a flat calm. If it is sheltered from the sea at our swinging mooring it might be easier to make these pre-sailing tweaks swinging to a (light) breeze. If the weather gods oblige.
Does anyone have any thoughts on using a little forestay tension when on the wind, if the bowsprit end holds the stay well clear of the yard? My feeling is that it might upset the natural balance of the unstayed mast, but others may have experience of this?
Thanks again for all help. That anxious moment is passing! Will post more info on my profile when my phone agrees to let go of the photos...
Pol.