Self tacking Staysail

Staysails are the smaller jib on a cutter. They are mounted to the inner forestay, which is the stay inboard of the headstay and attaches only partway up the mast. When tacking a cutter, you have the jib and staysail to sheet on each tack. This can become quite a chore when short tacking through narrow waterways.

To reduce the number of sheets that need to be adjusted, I have made the staysail self tacking. This lets me short tack up a narrow waterway, while only having to adjust the sheets of the jib (if I'm flying it). If it is a very narrow waterway, I will lower the jib and fly just the main and staysail, allowing me to short tack without having to adjust a single sheet. This lets me direct all of my focus to avoiding obstacles and other boat traffic while working to windward.

The reduced sail area does lower my speed, which is a good idea when sailing in crowded and cramped waters. If we were to collide with an obstacle, our slower speed will give us more time to react while lessening the damage of the collision. 

Self tacking staysails are nothing new, but most require very complicated systems and hardware to work properly. There are a few requirements that must be met for a headsail to self tack:

The sail can not overlap the mast
The sheets must be free and clear of any deck hardware
The sail needs a clew block to allow for trimming twist from the sail (optional but very helpful)

If the sail overlaps the mast, any self tacking hardware would hit the mast on each tack. It simply would not work.

The sheets need to be free and clear of any deck hardware to avoid them getting hung up on said hardware. Also, laying on hardware can cause stress points that will lead to chafe on the line.

Source: http://ipy.com/wp-content/themes/ipy/yacht-gallery/estero/estero-overview.jpg

Some common self tacking systems include the Hoyt Boom which is used on Island Packets to make their staysail self tacking.

Source: http://www.harken.com/uploadedImages/Tech_Corner/Systems/jib2.gif?n=4850

Booms are wonderful for sail control, which is why your mainsail has a boom under it. The problem with booms on the foredeck is they hurt when they smash into your shins! If your headsail is flogging around, so will the boom under it! The alternative is to negate the boom and instead mount a traveler on the foredeck ahead of the mast. 

All these extra parts, in the form of booms or traveler tracks cost a fair amount to have made and installed on your yacht. There must be an easier way?

There is! Simply installing a block on the clew will convert your staysail into a self tacking staysail. The block runs on a bridle which allows the sail to slip from side to side as you change your tacks. If you get hit by the block while the sail is flogging, it doesn't hurt that bad (as long as you use a light weight block). 

While this self tacking system is inexpensive, it is also less than perfect. The sail will have less than ideal sail shape while sailing to windward and significant twist when sailing off the wind. This is because the sail is sheeted onto a bridle. To help counteract the twist, I attach the block higher up on the clew block. This is effectively the same as moving the sheet blocks forward to apply more tension to the leech. 

The first version of this system involved my old staysail which had a clew cringle and a very heavy block. The bridle was sheeted to the toe rail, fixed at one point with the other end running back to the cockpit. The principle concept was there, but it needed a lot of tweaking to get to its current state.

The theory was: "As the sheet is eased, the bridle will loosen and the clew can rise and fall off the wind towards the leeward side. As the sheet is brought in, the bridle will tighten and the clew will stay more midship. As you tack, the block would slide along the bridle to fall onto the other tack. Sheet control was simply bridle tension, the sail would always fall towards the leeward side." This worked, but the lead angles were so wide that I was never able to point very high with it; I simply was unable to sheet it in all the way.  It was also a tripping hazard when walking forward on the deck. This led to the second version of the system.

The second version involved the new staysail which had a clew bock installed on it. The clew block allows for adjusting the lead angle on the sail instead of moving the lead blocks fore and aft. I also moved the bridle leads inboard to the staysail track. This version worked better to windward and I was able to remove some of the twist by attaching the block further up on the clew board. As you can see, the sail still cups at the clew and doesn't have the best of sail shape. For short tacking, this isn't such a big deal, but when on a long tack, this is lost efficiency.

This led to the third and current version of the self tacking staysail. The self tacking block is left attached to a higher hole on the clew block. On a lower hole, a standard sheet is attached to the staysail, allowing excellent sail trim and shape to be achieved on long tacks. The self tacker is also a very lightweight Carbo Harken block, further reducing the agony from getting hit by the block when the sail is flogging.

Development of the self tacker has finished, because I am pleased with where it has come to. While short tacking into or out of a harbor, I can set the self tacking sheet on the winch and work my way to windward. Once out of the harbor and into larger water ways, I can set the non-self tacking sheet on the winch and work my way towards my destination with perfect sail shape. 

While the self tacker is not perfect, it only cost me a few blocks (three to be exact) to rig and is easy to convert back to a regular sheeting system if I were to require it. This was very important to me since I heave to during storm conditions and a self tacker will not allow the sail to be backed. The simple act of switching the sheet on the winch is all that is required to convert from self tacking to regular sheeting.

I use this on my staysail, but if you have a sloop rig, you can use this on your non-overlapping headsail to convert your regular jib into a self tacking jib for short handed tacks.

First Year Inspection

The synthetic rigging has been up and used for the past year now and it's time to perform the yearly rig inspection to make sure everything is holding up well and to identify any problem areas so that they can be addressed before the problem arises.

I did not evaluate the mast head on this climb because I was installing two new check stays for the staysail and time was a concern. I did perform a through evaluation of the lowers and the spreaders.

The stays are holding up very well! I was concerned that the rigging might suffer from chafe aloft when the halyards swing through the wind. If there is any rubbing, there has been no damage from said potential rubbing!

The lowers have settled into their thimbles nicely, with all the strands of the line set neatly within the lip of the thimble. There is no sign of fuzzyness or degredation from UV exposure nor any broken strands. 

One point of relatively low concern is the clevis pin on the aft lower had rotated 180* so the cotter pin is now head down. The legs are properly splayed so there is little risk of the cotter pin falling out, but I still like the cotter pin oriented head up. I tried to rotate this pin, but it was not cooperating with my efforts. Other pins that had rotated were re-oriented to have the head of the cotter pin aiming up, but this one did not and I will have to loosen the stay, climb the mast, orient that pin, and then re-tension that stay. I will first climb to the mast head to inspect the headstay and backstay connections before I worry about a single inverted pin.

The spreaders were my second area of focus. The spreader tip is seized onto the cap shrouds as they pass through the jaws. I wanted to make sure that the small line (5/64" or 1.9mm) has held up well. I did have a few issues with halyards getting caught in the jaws, as well as the drifter rubbing over the spreader tip. To my great pleasure, everything out at the end looked in fine shape with no signs of chafe to the service placed over the stay. If the service were to become severely chafed, I would simply replace the worn service before the stay suffered any damage.

The rigging looks very new and is holding up wonderfully, even in full exposure to UV radiation, harsh winters, and sweltering summers!

On a final note, when you go up the mast to inspect your rigging, don't forget to enjoy the view!

New Visitors

Two white ducks arrived in the marina a few days ago! These ducks are very friendly, coming up to people (expecting food to be tossed at them).

The usual duck population consists of mallard ducks which are weary of people. They usually swim around the boats and keep to themselves, but these new ducks will swim right up to the side of the pier!

I personally don't interact with the ducks in the marina since I don't want any viruses or diseases to be transmitted to my parrot Sammy, but it is nice to see some new faces swimming around the marina!

While I do feel that these two ducks may have been pets that flew away and found themselves here, it is still nice to see a bit more biodiversity in the marina fauna.

Dropping Things in the Water

As mentioned before, everything you have while living aboard will eventually fall into the water. Many friends that come to visit us have dropped their phones, car keys, and wallets into the harbor; lost forever. 

Luckily (knock on wood) I have never dropped anything important into the water by following a few simple rules.  

1. Never pull anything out of your pocket while on the pier.

2. If you plan on pulling something out if your pocket while on the pier or deck of the boat, put it in a pocket by itself.  

3. Never pull anything out of your pocket when you are drunk. (Batman Dave dropped his cell phone, wallet, boat keys, and car keys into the harbor on Halloween while dressed as batman) 

4. If you have zippers on you pockets, keep them zipped shut.  

Most items are lost when you pull something out of your pocket and it slips from your hand or pushes something else out with it. For example: you take your phone out of your pocket and your keys are hooked on the corner. When the phone comes out, the keys fall. You reach for your falling keys and open your hands to catch them before they fall into the water, but you just let go of your phone! You watch as both your phone and keys fall into the water and sink to the bottom.  

If you must pull something from your pocket, do it over land or inside your cockpit/cabin. It only takes a few moments to do this and it will save you a lot of frustration. If you are expecting a call, or your phone in a pocket alone. If you are not expecting a call, let it ring and call them once it is safe to retrieve your phone from your pocket.  

Lastly, it would behoove you to get insurance on your cell phone. I have my phone through Verizon and the sales representative told me: If your phone falls into the harbor, simply report it as  "the harbor stole my phone" and the insurance will cover its replacement. 

Try to avoid the frustrating moment when you drop something in the water, it only takes a few simple steps to keep it from happening but it takes a long time to replace whatever falls. 

Going up the mast

No one likes to go up the mast, but when you do go up the mast, you should make it as safe as possible. This requires the proper gear and knowledge of how to use it.

There are three important parts to mast climbing

Going Up
Staying Safe
Coming Back Down

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Going up

Going up may seem simple, but how do you raise all your weight to the top? You can have a trusted friend grind the main halyard winch to raise you up, but if you can't find a friend who is willing to hoist you up, you might have to go up alone. 

They sell many different systems such as mast steps and mast climbers, but these are systems are bulky and complicated.

Metal mast steps add weight aloft, offer more places for halyards to foul, and are very expensive. They also entice sailors to climb the mast without a harness which can lead to deadly falls from the rigging.

Soft mast steps are attached to the main halyard and offer the same problem, you are tempted to climb them just like a ladder without any safety gear.

Mast climbers are interesting devices that attach to a line and allow you to shimmy your way up the halyard. They work well and offer a way to climb the mast in a hurry, but you are forced to stand up there while you are working aloft. Coming down is also rather tricky since you don't want to accidentally disengage the system and plummet to the deck.

I prefer the use of a gantline to climb the mast, it offers the safety and control of a pulley system and attaches to the bosun chair and safety harness. This system consists of three parts, two blocks and an ascender. These parts are not regular marine grade blocks, but rather blocks designed to hoist humans during rock climbing. They can not accidentally be opened and make the process very safe. The ascender is optional but it makes grabbing the gantline much easier.

The double blocks are made by C.A.M.P. and are relatively available at REI.

The ascender is made by Petzl Ascension and also relatively available at REI. I tie a small piece of dyneema to it and connect it to my harness. When I reach my desired location on the mast, I can let go of the gantline and the ascender will hold me in place while I work. The first time you let the ascender go may seem scary, but trust me, you will be fine (as long as it's tied to your harness!)

To go up, I feed the line through the double blocks and attach one block to the main halyard and run it up the mast. The main halyard is securely cleated to secure the upper block at the mast head and the lower block is securely attached to the bosun chair. I attach the ascender to the gantline and begin pulling myself up. This system offers a mechanical advantage of 4:1 and allows someone with weak arms like myself to hoist my heavy body to the top of the mast. If I were to loose my grip on the line and fell uncontrolled, I would be slowed somewhat by the friction imposed by the block system. I don't recommend testing out a free fall, but it will give you enough time to grab the gantline. If you were falling, the best way to stop your fall would be to grab the four lines involved in the pulley system which will easily bring you to a halt. Best yet is to avoid a free fall all together, which will be discussed in the safety section below.

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Staying safe

Safety aloft is the most important thing to maintain while climbing a mast. With this in mind, we shall look at proper safety protocol.

The line for the gantline should be strong enough to support your body weight easily. I use 1/2" Three Lay from New England Ropes. I recommend the use of Three Lay because it offers more warning to chafe and if chafe occurs, it will usually only affect one of the three strands. Two of the three strands will be enough to hold your weight as you lower yourself down from the mast. If double braid were to get cut or chafed severely, your safety could be severely compromised, three lay is a little more insurance to a deadly fall.

The blocks should be inspected before each and every use to make sure they are free of cracks or corrosion. If there is any question, don't go up on them!

All attachments should be made with knots or threaded shackles. Never use a snap hook as a primary attachment. If the snap shackle opens, you will fall straight down.

The mast is both your friend and nemesis. It will keep you safe as long as you are close to it. If you move too far from the mast by wind or wave action, you will end up smashing back into the mast. This can be extremely dangerous and damaging! To avoid being swung away from the mast, you want to tie a safety line around the mast and to your safety harness. This will keep you close to the mast at all times. If you need to swing out to the end of the spreaders, simply tie it to the shroud and pull yourself out in a controlled manner. Never jump or swing because if you miss your target, you will smash back into the mast!

Attach a safety line from the bosun chair to your safety harness. This way, if you slip out of the chair, you will still hang by your harness. 

Tie the rope ascender to your harness. This way if you let go of it by accident, you will not fall. The ascender will rise up until the safety line is tight, then it will hold you at that height. 

Carry a messenger line with you so tools or parts can be passed from the deck up to you. This will allow you to send things back and forth without needing to climb or descend to retrieve them.

Tie a line that is secured to you to all tools you value. If a tool slips, it will reach incredible speeds as it plummets to the deck. This will damage your deck when it smashes into it and the tool will then bounce into the water to be lost forever. By tying a line to the tool, it will stay tethered to you and avoid all the damaging consequences.

Never use tools while someone is below you. Have any helpers relocate themselves to the bow or stern. If a tool or clevis pin slips out of your hand and hits them in the head, they could die from brain trauma.

If you are replacing your rigging, never disconnect all the shrouds or stays at the same time. Replace just one at a time and have that stay supported by a halyard. This way the mast head will always be supported. The lower shrouds are much less sensitive to this and can be replaced all at the same time.

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Coming back down

After the job is finished, it is time to come back down to the deck. The safest way to do this is slowly. I take a firm grasp on the gantline and remove the ascender and let it hang by its tether line to the harness. I lower myself down hand under hand, never letting myself build up momentum.

Do not let the rope slide through your hands in a controlled manner. The friction will build heat leading to rope burn. When this happens, your instinct will be to let go! If you save yourself from the fall by grabbing the gantline bundle, you will still have rope burn on your hands, making any successive projects painful. This is why you avoid the whole situation by lowering yourself in a controlled manner until you reach the deck safely.

Lower yourself down slowly, and keep the safety line tied around the mast. When you get to the spreaders: wrap your legs around the mast, make sure there are no waves or wakes coming, untie it, pass it around under the spreaders, and tie it again. If conditions are not calm, use two safety lines. Keep the first one tied, tie the second on the other side of the spreaders, then untie the old safety line.

Following these steps you will be able to safely climb, work, and descend the mast without injury or casualty. Remember that anything you want to do will take longer to accomplish aloft and you need to be extremely careful to maintain perfect safety while aloft.