Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote:

I bought a Harken lazy-jack kit when we bought th eboat in 1989, but
have never installed it. Using them on other boats in the mid 30-foot
range is a PITA to me. We normally sail as a couple, so my wife keeps
the boat into the wind while I take the main down or hoist.

We changed to hank-on jibs about 5 years ago and love it this way.


Many people *enjoy* testing their ability to endure pain and misery. I
did too - a long time ago. I still "test" because my boat came hank on
without lazyjacks. I too spend mucho time forward with my child bride
steering into the wind - which is, by definition, *always* blowing a
gale or shifting constantly or both. If it weren't I wouldn't need to
adjust the sails. But I can no longer imagine LIKEING it when (not if)
the half-flaked sail catches an errant breeze and heads over the side
blinding the tillerman, let alone depending on the autotiller that can't
see wind shifts. IMHO that's *almost* as much fun as loosing a good fist
fight. The only reason I don't have lazyjacks and a RF genoa 'rat now'
is the yardbirds can't get off their lazy's to install them. Hopefully
by xmas ....

Vito wrote in message ...
Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote:

I bought a Harken lazy-jack kit when we bought th eboat in 1989, but
have never installed it. Using them on other boats in the mid 30-foot
range is a PITA to me. We normally sail as a couple, so my wife keeps
the boat into the wind while I take the main down or hoist.

We changed to hank-on jibs about 5 years ago and love it this way.


Many people *enjoy* testing their ability to endure pain and misery. I
did too - a long time ago. I still "test" because my boat came hank on
without lazyjacks. I too spend mucho time forward with my child bride
steering into the wind - which is, by definition, *always* blowing a
gale or shifting constantly or both. If it weren't I wouldn't need to
adjust the sails. But I can no longer imagine LIKEING it when (not if)
the half-flaked sail catches an errant breeze and heads over the side
blinding the tillerman, let alone depending on the autotiller that can't
see wind shifts. IMHO that's *almost* as much fun as loosing a good fist
fight. The only reason I don't have lazyjacks and a RF genoa 'rat now'
is the yardbirds can't get off their lazy's to install them. Hopefully
by xmas ....

I installed my own RF and am glad I did, Took me three tries to get
it right. Now I know some of the possible ways it can be screwed up
and how to fix them.

NOW, about lazy jacks on a 28' boat. Some ppl say they are a pain and
some ppl say they are great. SO, how do you keep the main from
blinding the helmsman when it has been pulled down and not yet flaked
on the boom?

Parallax wrote:

NOW, about lazy jacks on a 28' boat. Some ppl say they are a pain and
some ppl say they are great. SO, how do you keep the main from
blinding the helmsman when it has been pulled down and not yet flaked
on the boom?



When in a hurry, I carry the gaskets over my shoulder, drop the sail and
quickly tie up any old way. Might take a minute in adverse conditions,
but the bulk of the sail is tamed within 5-10 seconds of the drop. We
flake the sail properly once things have quieted down.

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/

On Thu, 30 Oct 2003 01:16:48 GMT, Jere Lull wrote:

Parallax wrote:

NOW, about lazy jacks on a 28' boat. Some ppl say they are a pain and
some ppl say they are great. SO, how do you keep the main from
blinding the helmsman when it has been pulled down and not yet flaked
on the boom?



When in a hurry, I carry the gaskets over my shoulder, drop the sail and
quickly tie up any old way. Might take a minute in adverse conditions,
but the bulk of the sail is tamed within 5-10 seconds of the drop. We
flake the sail properly once things have quieted down.


I do the same. It isn't a problem.



Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a

"Religious wisdom is to wisdom as military music is to music."

Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote:

Jere Lull wrote:


When in a hurry, I carry the gaskets over my shoulder, drop the sail and
quickly tie up any old way. Might take a minute in adverse conditions,
but the bulk of the sail is tamed within 5-10 seconds of the drop. We
flake the sail properly once things have quieted down.

I do the same. It isn't a problem.

Obviously fair weather sailors.

Vito wrote:

Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote:


Jere Lull wrote:

When in a hurry, I carry the gaskets over my shoulder, drop the sail and
quickly tie up any old way. Might take a minute in adverse conditions,
but the bulk of the sail is tamed within 5-10 seconds of the drop. We
flake the sail properly once things have quieted down.


I do the same. It isn't a problem.



Obviously fair weather sailors.


I would LOVE to be a fair weather sailor, but we do entirely too many
marginal days and go too far on those days to dodge the weather bullet
every time. We are away from the dock 70-80 days out of our 6 month
season and I still work M-F. I'm pretty good about choosing destinations
based on the expected weather, but as a optimist, we have to reef down
or haul down a few times each season.

My definition of a cruiser includes *never* pushing the weather window:
If it don't look just right for the transit, cruisers don't move.

Still, we know we can can enter our marina under sail with 30+ knots
behind us forcing a couple of crash jibes to get through the breakwaters
-- because we've done it. When we have had to do it without *any* power,
it was no big thing because we'd practiced it so many times with the
engine ticking over just in case.

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/

On Fri, 31 Oct 2003 02:05:32 GMT, Jere Lull wrote:

Vito wrote:

Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote:


Jere Lull wrote:

When in a hurry, I carry the gaskets over my shoulder, drop the sail and
quickly tie up any old way. Might take a minute in adverse conditions,
but the bulk of the sail is tamed within 5-10 seconds of the drop. We
flake the sail properly once things have quieted down.


I do the same. It isn't a problem.



Obviously fair weather sailors.


Silly remark, and incorrect in my case also. As I get older, I try
more to be a fair-weather sailor but it doesn't really work all the
time.

I have been through the reefing routine, but with the sail-shape
control we have I just take down the main when it gets too strong. By
that time the #3 is entirely adequate.



I would LOVE to be a fair weather sailor, but we do entirely too many
marginal days and go too far on those days to dodge the weather bullet
every time. We are away from the dock 70-80 days out of our 6 month
season and I still work M-F. I'm pretty good about choosing destinations
based on the expected weather, but as a optimist, we have to reef down
or haul down a few times each season.



Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a

"Religious wisdom is to wisdom as military music is to music."

On Wed, 29 Oct 2003 09:55:06 -0500, Vito wrote:


Many people *enjoy* testing their ability to endure pain and misery. I
did too - a long time ago. I still "test" because my boat came hank on
without lazyjacks. I too spend mucho time forward with my child bride
steering into the wind - which is, by definition, *always* blowing a
gale or shifting constantly or both.

Oh, you have a child bride too? G Mine is 29...no kid, but
considerably more agile than me and fearless on the foredeck. Being a
wiry 105 pounds and five feet tall, she has a little more trouble
dousing the genoa than I do, but she is far less likely to go over the
side, being a lot closer to the deck than I am in the first place.
Besides, I can luff the main better...G

R.

On Wed, 29 Oct 2003 09:55:06 -0500, Vito wrote:


Many people *enjoy* testing their ability to endure pain and misery. I
did too - a long time ago. I still "test" because my boat came hank on
without lazyjacks. I too spend mucho time forward with my child bride
steering into the wind - which is, by definition, *always* blowing a
gale or shifting constantly or both.

Oh, you have a child bride too? G Mine is 29...no kid, but
considerably more agile than me and fearless on the foredeck. Being a
wiry 105 pounds and five feet tall, she has a little more trouble
dousing the genoa than I do, but she is far less likely to go over the
side, being a lot closer to the deck than I am in the first place.
Besides, I can luff the main better...G

R.