On Mon, 5 Apr 2004 07:28:24 -0700, "Steve" wrote:


However I use the same sheet on with sheet Bowline in each.

Same here. I reverse the knot depending on which side the sheet will
run, but then I flemish my docklines and halyards, so I guess I'm a
neat freak.

It's just as quick to tie two knots as
it is to 'screw' around with a shackle and pin. I avoid any 'hardware' on
the jib/genoa clew.

Well, I *do* use Gibb shackles on the spinnaker sheets and guy, mainly
because the previous owner did, and those lines are still good. G

If the clew grommet corrodes, as many do, I replace it
with nylon webbing.

I like to fly my smaller jibs (I have hank-on and a large J) on a
pendant to catch a bit more air. I use an oversized line (5/8" or so)
and use bowlines with secured ends to lift the tack about four feet
above the deck. Using a number 3, this improves forward visibility,
catches a bit more air and allows more choices in genoa car angles. If
I fly the genoa staysail, I fly the no. 3 even higher, like six to
eight feet depending on wind and my anticipation of tacking.

I also use jib downhauls, which is getting pretty rare in these days
of furling, but I've found them handy when singlehanding and seeing
perhaps dodgy gusty weather of the type that precede summer storms
here on the Great Lakes.

The idea of adding a reef point to a genoa is becoming rare, too, but
if you like hank-on, it's a good idea to consider.

R.