On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 07:02:29 -0400, "Roger Long"
wrote:

Must have been snap hooks; not snap shackles.

Yes, I agree. Snap shackles do have a nasty habit of shaking
themselves open when flogged. I've seen it happen several times on
spinnaker halyards.

There is a type of shackle suitable for jibsheets but they are pricey
and there is no real need for them on cruising boats where sail
changes are rare.

"Wayne.B" wrote in message

Yes, I agree. Snap shackles do have a nasty habit of shaking
themselves open when flogged. I've seen it happen several times on
spinnaker halyards.

There is a type of shackle suitable for jibsheets but they are pricey
and there is no real need for them on cruising boats where sail
changes are rare.

18" of line, a little whipping, and you're done.

Who needs a shackle?

Lew

On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 23:20:26 -0700, "Lew Hodgett"
wrote:

There is a type of shackle suitable for jibsheets but they are pricey
and there is no real need for them on cruising boats where sail
changes are rare.

18" of line, a little whipping, and you're done.

Who needs a shackle?

Racing boats that do frequent jib changes, often in the dark. Shackles
are quicker and more reliable in those circumatances. The racing
shackles are also very sleek and low profile which minimizes the
chances of the clew hanging up on the shrouds during a tack.

http://www.boatingdirect.net/browsep...k-Shackle.html

"Wayne.B" wrote:

Racing boats that do frequent jib changes, often in the dark.

The only time I ever race is down below for another cold one.

Travleing at 6MPH and trying to call it racing is far too much of a stretch
for me.

Lew

"Lew Hodgett" wrote in message
...

"Wayne.B" wrote:

Racing boats that do frequent jib changes, often in the dark.

The only time I ever race is down below for another cold one.

Travleing at 6MPH and trying to call it racing is far too much of a
stretch for me.

Lew




Two sailboats going in the same general direction are, by definition, a
race.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"Capt. JG" wrote in message
...
"Lew Hodgett" wrote in message
...

"Wayne.B" wrote:

Racing boats that do frequent jib changes, often in the dark.

The only time I ever race is down below for another cold one.

Travleing at 6MPH and trying to call it racing is far too much of a
stretch for me.

Lew




Two sailboats going in the same general direction are, by definition, a
race.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com



Indubitably. And if the other boat "wins," it's because they're cheating.
;-)

"KLC Lewis" wrote in message
et...

"Capt. JG" wrote in message
...
"Lew Hodgett" wrote in message
...

"Wayne.B" wrote:

Racing boats that do frequent jib changes, often in the dark.

The only time I ever race is down below for another cold one.

Travleing at 6MPH and trying to call it racing is far too much of a
stretch for me.

Lew




Two sailboats going in the same general direction are, by definition, a
race.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com



Indubitably. And if the other boat "wins," it's because they're cheating.
;-)



The other boat never wins. It wasn't a race. :-)


--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

On Thu, 30 Aug 2007 20:29:28 -0700, "Lew Hodgett"
wrote:

Travleing at 6MPH and trying to call it racing is far too much of a stretch
for me.

I understand. Racers love to talk about *fast* boats versus slow
ones. That usually means a boat that goes 7 kts vs 6.5 :-)

You can learn a lot about sail shape, sail trim, boat prep, mast
tuning and weather forecasting from racing however. Almost every
cruising boat I've ever seen could be made at least a knot faster with
a little work.

On Thu, 30 Aug 2007 23:33:21 -0500, "KLC Lewis"
wrote:

Two sailboats going in the same general direction are, by definition, a
race.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com



Indubitably. And if the other boat "wins," it's because they're cheating.
;-)

You can always tell when you've won, or are about to win, one of these
impromptou races. In my experience the losing boat either turns on
the engine or heads off in a different direction. Egos are so fragile
sometimes. :-)

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 30 Aug 2007 20:29:28 -0700, "Lew Hodgett"
wrote:

Travleing at 6MPH and trying to call it racing is far too much of a
stretch
for me.

I understand. Racers love to talk about *fast* boats versus slow
ones. That usually means a boat that goes 7 kts vs 6.5 :-)

You can learn a lot about sail shape, sail trim, boat prep, mast
tuning and weather forecasting from racing however. Almost every
cruising boat I've ever seen could be made at least a knot faster with
a little work.



Funny you should mention that. When I'm out on the bay for a daysail, sail
shape makes little difference to me. I'm on the water, the boat's moving,
that's all I care about. Until another boat becomes a threat. Suddenly I
care about sail draft, lead position, halyard tension, traveler position...
It's not at all uncommon for Essie to go from 4 knots to 6 just because I'm
suddenly "racing." lol