You have no doubt realized that the Martin m244 jib has a furler which is located below the foredeck. But unless you have crawled down there to have a close up look, you may not have noticed that it is a pretty small unit. It definitely is not sized like the ones you might see on a Discovery 55. What this means is that it's just big enough to do the job it was designed for - provided you use it properly.
So here's the drill... Before you go to furl the ol' fore-triangle, steer the boat onto a BROAD REACH so that the jib is blanketed behind the mainsail. When it's hanging there like a limp rag it's a piece of cake to wind it in using the furling line down below while a crew mate is maintaining a bit of tension on the jib sheet.
Oh and just one more tip: It's a good idea to leave a couple of wraps on the furler drum but if you wind the jib in very tightly then you'll have missed out on this elegant furled-jib-nirvana.
Now let's face it - you can heave in on the furler on other points of sail and I'm sure that you have all tried it - but expect your hands, the sail, and the furling mechanism to suffer for the experience.
Finally - if you find yourself wrapping the furling line around a winch STOP! There is something else wrong that must be addressed for the furling exercise to complete with out (yeechh!) equipment damage.
Hey it's all part of becoming a Master-Martin-Mariner (MMM MMM Good!)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment