RAISING THE GAFF WITH ONE HALYARD
The gaff rig may be lifted with one halyard.
The advantage to this is that you have only one line to handle in an emergency. The gaff
boom can be scandalized, 
dropped to make a triangular sail , or dropped to allow for
reefing at the same time. A system for a quick reef may be set up where one line is used
to pull and set the reef. This leaves you time to tie the reefing points at a more relaxed
pace. For those of you new to sailing the reefs are tied around the bottom of the sail and
not around the boom. This is much easier to do if you are flying the main loose footed
that is attached to each end of the boom and not roped to it, see next paragraph. Actually
with the quick reef you do not need to tie the reefing points but it looks neater if you
do and keeps the sail out of the cockpit. [Click On Image To Enlarge]
LOOSE FOOTED MAIN SAIL
Flying the sail loose footed also allows you to control the
shape of the sail. Sail shape is very important in sailing. Think of your sail as a
vertical wing. Thick wings are used in slow moving airplanes (low winds) they give better
lift at slow speeds whereas thin wings are used on fast airplanes (high winds). Therefore
in light winds loosen up the line (outhaul) at the outer end of the sail for more lift
(power) from your sail and tighten the outhaul in higher winds a tighter sail gives less
lift therefore less power and less tendency to capsize. In higher winds let out the main
sheet AND jib sheet this decreases the angle of attack and gives less lift. If you
don’t let out the jib sheet to you can cause the boat to have a lee helm not good in
heavy winds. Believe it or not your sail gets more power from the lee side of the sail
(upper side of a wing) than it does from the windward side. Just like an airplane wing.
SINGLE HALYARD
Lets start setting the halyard up at the cockpit. Set a large
cleat up on the cabin roof just forward of the cabin bulkhead be sure to back up the cleat
with a block of wood on the underside of the cabin deck. The less walking forward you have
to do the better. From the cleat the line runs forward to a pulley attached to the side of
the mast then up to a double pulley set above the throat of the gaff boom when it is
hardened up. The line then runs to a pulley at the throat of the gaff boom and back up to
a double pulley on the mast make sure to run the lines on the back side i.e. the mast side
of the pulley. Then from the double pulley to a pulley to a pulley attached by a shackle
to a 3/8" rope traveler attached to the boom. The traveler need not be attached to an
eyebolt. The best way to attach the traveler is to set a small wooden stop in the bottom
of the boom and make tight loops around the boom with the traveler rope. The line then
runs back to a pulley at the top of the mast and out to the final attachment point at the
end of the boom. The attachment at the end of the boom should be made the same way as the
traveler.
JIFFY REEF
No it’s not a quick way to put your boat on the coral
of a desert island. According to Webster: reef: verb: to reduce the area of a sail by
rolling or folding a part of it.
To set up a jiffy reef a quarter inch braided nylon line is tied
to the forward end of the main boom preferably to or next to the pulley used for the quick
reef. The line is then run through a grommet in the leading edge of the sail one or two
inches above the reef line. The line is then run down to the pulley and aft to a double
pulley at the aft end of the boom. Then up through a grommet on the trailing edge of the
sail back to the pulley and forward to a convenient spot on the boom where a cleat is
placed on the bottom or side of the boom. One simply drops the sail the appropriate
distance and pulls the jiffy reef line tight and ties it to the cleat. Then the sail is
raised until trim. All of this can be done while the boat is still under way although I
prefer to do it with the boat pointing into the wind. You can the tie the lines at the
reefing points around the bottom of the sail, to keep it neat, and you are off again able
to handle a stronger wind. Remember however to shorten your jib or take it down in strong
winds. This can also be done with a reefing system similar to the above or with roller
furling. By any means do not go on to the forward deck any more than necessary, preferably
only when docking. You definitely can not swim faster than a moving sailboat and they can
be very hard to climb onto when at anchor.
LINE
I prefer using 3/8" twisted dacron rope for the running
rigging on the main sheet. It is easier to handle and looks a lot saltier than braided
nylon. I also like 3/8" dacron for the main sheet it’s easier to hold on to.
3/8" braided dacron is also better for the traveler on the gaff as it is easier to
braid the loops in the line. Braided nylon line needs special equipment to make the loops.
Do not use twisted nylon line for running rigging it stretches. It’s great for anchor
lines though along with several feet of chain attached to the anchor. For the jiffy reef
use ¼" braided nylon. If you have more than one set of reefing points use lines with
different colors braided into them so you can tell which reef your working with.
