I previously posted about my desire do save the cost and mast real
estate of a winch for the roller furling jib halyard since it is
infrequently used. I posted this sketch:

http://home.maine.rr.com/rlma/Halyard.jpg

which elicited no technical comments but started a long thread about
how I was negligently and foolishly endangering my children and
everyone else by requiring anyone to leave the security of the
cockpit.

After the clean up of drilling for some eyestraps on the boom and
still picking aluminum shreds out of my barefeet the next day, I
decided that I would like very much to avoid any mast drilling at this
point. So, I came up with this arrangement:

http://home.maine.rr.com/rlma/Halyard2.jpg

Our halyards went through turning blocks in a mast step base plate for
leading to the cockpit. I retained the blocks because it's easier to
pull up than down. I just took the turning block off and attached it
with a short tackle of 5/16" line with a double fiddle block and a
double block. Extend the tackle and cleat at the proper point. Then,
haul as much slack out of the halyard as possible and cleat with the
turning block close to the cleat. Use the tackle for final tension.

Now, the astute among you will note that the turning block reduces the
power of the arrangement by half so a triple block might be called for
on a larger boat. However, luff on our 32 foot boat looked better
today than it ever did when I was sweating it tight with the winch.

The arrangement works out well in practice. If something in the
tackle should break, the luff will slacken but not come down because
it is cleated close to the turning block. The long tail on the
tensioning tackle goes around the mast to secure the jib halyard coil
and anything else that is not needed frequently. If you do need to
get the sail down in a hurry, it just uncleats normally and the effect
is just that of a turning block a few inches higher than normal.

--

Roger Long