My halyards currently dangle from the mast and are raised by standing next to mast. After a windy and rough experience, I'm considering running both back to the pit. I don't have winches installed on top of the cabin but will do that if I decide to go that route. You guys have any pros and cons to doing that? I eventually want to go with a roller furling but not sure when.
E29 halyards back to pit
- Thread starter Shu
- Start date
There are some good recent threads on this, but I can't seem to find them.
Here is a rant against halyards led back, written by Albert Einstein:
I refer to the biggest joke in modern yachting: “all lines led back to the cockpit.” With a tiller in the singlehanded transpac, OK: you need to be able to raise the chute at midnight when the wind drops below 30 knots while steering with your knees. With a wheel, however, even around the buoys, you're trapped with the deck controls entirely out of reach. Sure I can work the jib sheets. But halyards? Vang? Reefing? One is not Plastic Man, able to fling an arm 12 feet. And all that line running running back from the mast through all those blocks and brakes means a foul any time you douse, so you have to go to the mast anyhow. And if you need to haul a halyard at the mast, the slack line at your feet must be reintroduced to its run to the cockpit, an action which is exactly impossible without assistance. And--am I beating this to death?--after lowering the mainsail from the safety of the cockpit, with no fouls of the halyard you managed not to be standing on and the clutches and blocks that this time didn't foul, what you have accomplished is--a lowered mainsail. Now what? Don't you have to climb on the cabin house with sail ties?
Winches on the mast are a simpler approach. They put everything within reach of where the short-handed sailor usually winds up in a sail-handling emergency. Under normal conditions they actually make everything easier for the master, commander and host. At least that is my experience. A system designed to make it unnecessary to leave the cockpit is like wearing one shoe to reduce walking. Logical, but leaves you hopping on one foot.
Boats these days have most of the stuff led back to the cockpit, I guess because it seems more convenient. Whether the answer is yes or no is worth some thought about how you sail the boat, what the crew does, how big the boat is, how easy or hard it is to get to the mast past dodgers or how cluttered the deck, and so on.
However, going to the base of the mast is a natural part of sailing, and not something to avoid. There are always fouls to be cleared, and in 25-foot breaking seas that is where we rig the trysail.
Lines led back require expensive winches on the cabin house, a mast collar, turning blocks, clutches, and reward with 30 or 40 feet of line at your feet. For consistency, everything should be led back--spin halyard, reef lines, reef downhaul, cunningham, vang. Otherwise you still have to leave the cockpit anyhow.
So I suggest thinking through your own procedures and considering the big picture. It can be argued that halyards on the mast are simpler, cheaper and better.
Here is a rant against halyards led back, written by Albert Einstein:
I refer to the biggest joke in modern yachting: “all lines led back to the cockpit.” With a tiller in the singlehanded transpac, OK: you need to be able to raise the chute at midnight when the wind drops below 30 knots while steering with your knees. With a wheel, however, even around the buoys, you're trapped with the deck controls entirely out of reach. Sure I can work the jib sheets. But halyards? Vang? Reefing? One is not Plastic Man, able to fling an arm 12 feet. And all that line running running back from the mast through all those blocks and brakes means a foul any time you douse, so you have to go to the mast anyhow. And if you need to haul a halyard at the mast, the slack line at your feet must be reintroduced to its run to the cockpit, an action which is exactly impossible without assistance. And--am I beating this to death?--after lowering the mainsail from the safety of the cockpit, with no fouls of the halyard you managed not to be standing on and the clutches and blocks that this time didn't foul, what you have accomplished is--a lowered mainsail. Now what? Don't you have to climb on the cabin house with sail ties?
Winches on the mast are a simpler approach. They put everything within reach of where the short-handed sailor usually winds up in a sail-handling emergency. Under normal conditions they actually make everything easier for the master, commander and host. At least that is my experience. A system designed to make it unnecessary to leave the cockpit is like wearing one shoe to reduce walking. Logical, but leaves you hopping on one foot.
Boats these days have most of the stuff led back to the cockpit, I guess because it seems more convenient. Whether the answer is yes or no is worth some thought about how you sail the boat, what the crew does, how big the boat is, how easy or hard it is to get to the mast past dodgers or how cluttered the deck, and so on.
However, going to the base of the mast is a natural part of sailing, and not something to avoid. There are always fouls to be cleared, and in 25-foot breaking seas that is where we rig the trysail.
Lines led back require expensive winches on the cabin house, a mast collar, turning blocks, clutches, and reward with 30 or 40 feet of line at your feet. For consistency, everything should be led back--spin halyard, reef lines, reef downhaul, cunningham, vang. Otherwise you still have to leave the cockpit anyhow.
So I suggest thinking through your own procedures and considering the big picture. It can be argued that halyards on the mast are simpler, cheaper and better.
dt222
Member III
I agree with Christian in that it all depends on how you sail your boat.
On my '27, I solo sail often, and the main halyard leads to the cockpit, there is no winch on the cabin top. As long as I am headed into the wind on raising or lowering the main I can do so without a winch, I have never had to go to the mast. The few times that I did need to use a winch, I just run the main halyard to a genoa winch. I raise my genoa once at the beginning of the season on roler furling gear, and for the most part don't touch the halyard, and if I need to change it out do so while anchored or at the dock. I also have not gone out when I would consider the need for a try sail. I do mostly coastal cruising, so for the way that I sail, that's good for me.
Don
On my '27, I solo sail often, and the main halyard leads to the cockpit, there is no winch on the cabin top. As long as I am headed into the wind on raising or lowering the main I can do so without a winch, I have never had to go to the mast. The few times that I did need to use a winch, I just run the main halyard to a genoa winch. I raise my genoa once at the beginning of the season on roler furling gear, and for the most part don't touch the halyard, and if I need to change it out do so while anchored or at the dock. I also have not gone out when I would consider the need for a try sail. I do mostly coastal cruising, so for the way that I sail, that's good for me.
Don
Halyards run to pit
What a great resource it is to run this stuff by you guys. I've yet to be disappointed. Since I'm a rookie sailor, if I don't learn it here, I've likely thrashed about out on the water where it can be somewhat painfull. Last Friday I took her out on Puget Sound with 25 knot or so winds and learned several things not to do. I darn near got beat to death with the clew ring on my storm jib trying to bring it down among other things. I did have a helmsman and would not, at this point in my journey, try it solo. Pretty much everything I did wore me out, hence my original post. I know the roller furling would make a huge difference but as far as running lines back, quite unsure. I am most definitely a trial by error sailer, which I'm learning is more the norm than the exception.
What a great resource it is to run this stuff by you guys. I've yet to be disappointed. Since I'm a rookie sailor, if I don't learn it here, I've likely thrashed about out on the water where it can be somewhat painfull. Last Friday I took her out on Puget Sound with 25 knot or so winds and learned several things not to do. I darn near got beat to death with the clew ring on my storm jib trying to bring it down among other things. I did have a helmsman and would not, at this point in my journey, try it solo. Pretty much everything I did wore me out, hence my original post. I know the roller furling would make a huge difference but as far as running lines back, quite unsure. I am most definitely a trial by error sailer, which I'm learning is more the norm than the exception.