Armond Perretta wrote:
sherwin dubren wrote:
We used our drifter sail yesterday ... I noticed ... that with the drifter
run all the way up the forestay, there was still slack in the luff ...
sail. This is a hanked on sail. The sail came with a
built in wire lead at the tack, about 18 inches long.

Should I simply shorten this wire lead to solve this problem?

Was this sail built specifically for this boat? If that's the case then
the sailmaker (or a previous owner) just didn't set it up correctly. If
bought used, then that explains the issue. You can safely either shorten or
eliminate the wire pennant with no ill effects. Just note that this will
also require that you adjust the jib sheet lead for best trim.
I assume you mean moving the lead forward or back in it's track.

This sail was made specifically for us by Oakum Bay in Marblehead, MA.

I recollect sending them a copy of the original sail plan from
Westerly Marine, so it should have fit the boat. Maybe they were
trying to create more of a 'belly' to the sail, but I think they just
made this wire lead too long.

We are also using a small diameter line for jib sheets so as to not
add too much weight to the sail in very light airs. Problem is that
this line tends to ride down the winch and get caught in the base.
I have no ideas on how to fix that one. The jib sheet lead may be
pulling it down, but the lead is at the extreme front of the track
for the best sail shape creating this downward pull.

Sherwin