[Public-List] Lazy Jacks

[David Tessier]

George, My last post seems to have got reformatted making it hard to read.  I think that we both use our Lazy Jacks similarly.  Specifically, I too ALWAYS use my Lazy Jacks when lowering our full-battened loose-footed mainsail smoothly down its plastic track.  I heave to or not depending on a) whether I am solo or with crew on the helm, and, b) on the point of sail.  On this last point, going to windward with wind less than perhaps 20 knots breeze and waves less than 1-2 metres, our Alberg 30 with her tiller lashed holds a reasonable course (+/- 20 degrees?) despite moderate variations in wind gust strength/ wind direction, whether under Genoa alone or mainsail alone or both Genoa and mainsail.  Under these conditions and with ample searoom, rather than heaving to, I sometimes exploit this stability going to windward to LOWER or RAISE my mainsail solo while underway.  An EXCEPTION might be in the case of a very very unexpected squall (has yet to happen) when I might claw it down without the Lazy Jacks and let it fall to leeward.  I have an all wire mainsail halyard and wire winch so lowering the mainsail is slower that with a rope or rope/wire halyard with a rope winch - - one more reason for me to consider abandoning the all wire halyard/winch.  As an experiment (with 12-15 kt breeze) against an eventual unexpected squall, I tried a fast release of the wire winch clutch and pulling the mainsail smartly down its plastic track, but this did not work well particularly well - - no snarling of the wire halyard as I recall, but the winch made some complaining noises which I could not bear...  But the winch still worked afterwards. Cheers,  Dave, #19 TROIS BOULEAUX P.S.: Have a look at  http://english.wunderground.com/MAR/buoy/2012/4/16/45001.html  when the breeze at the end of a blow in mid Lake Superior on 16 April 2012 dropped from a vigorous 29.2 kts & 4.8 metre_waves at 0900 hours, DOWN  TO only 3.9 kts / 4.5 metre_waves at 1000 hours!  Anyone out therre that day would have had a memoprable rolly polly ride, especially under sail.  Yikes!!!  		 	   		  
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