I’ve never sailed with Lazy Jacks except on boats large enough that
they were a necessity. Our boat was rigged for them so I decided to
set them up and give them a try. Having the main lying on the cabin
top and spilling into the cockpit is a real pain while I’m trying to
direct neophytes (and short ones at that) how to get it stowed.

We sailed with them the first time today. I foolishly didn’t wait
until we were far enough out to set. The top batten promptly tangled
up in them and nothing would clear it. By this time we couldn’t head
directly upwind any more so we ended up looping around with everything
catywunkus and tangled which must have made a good show.

I said, "Enough of this" and slacked them off enough to hook the whole
mess behind the reefing hooks. I set them later to see how they worked
with the main set and they were fine.

When we dropped the sail, I became a believer. Down sail and there it
was. We could have motored all the way to the dock without touching
it. The cover fits better with them stowed behind the reefing hooks
anyway. I think now I’ll just leave them there until just before
lowering. There’s still plenty of room for the reefing earrings and I
won’t have to worry about them if I reef.

I set mine up very simply. A line with a thimble eye in one end goes
through a boom slide grommet with a half hitch to hold it. It then
goes up to the mast line and down through another slide grommet then
up to the other mast line, through the thimble, and to a cleat that
was already on the boom. No eyestraps to chafe or turn a head bump
into a major injury. It takes but a moment to flip them out of the
hooks and pull the single line to set them.

--

Roger Long

Roger:

You may have motivated me to set mine up. I have the same reasons as
you for not wanting the main not falling all over and into the novice
helmsmans field of view. I'll look into your method.

David