So, while sailing in fierce 25 knot winds today, our jib was REALLY hard to re-furl. (We have an old Hood Systems furler.) We both scratched our heads on that. We know we need a better way to keep the drum bottom half from turning as much as it does now, as it chafes the furling line but it was never as difficult to furl as it was today.
And then I notice something "up there". Shock and horror, there's the jib halyard, about an inch or two, shredded and hanging. I gave the halyard a tug (from the cockpit) and sure enough it was loose. So problem #1 is figuring out how it got cut. I think something's up with the furler at the top, the length of remaining halyard attached to the sail appears to put it right at the top of the furling pole, where the forestay cable/fitting goes up the rest of the way. I'll get some photos tomorrow to share. Problem #2 is how to run new halyards. (Our spinnaker halyard is old and due for replacement anyway. Thankfully it's still fully rigged though.) I was thinking this: 1. Remove block at base of mast for forward halyards. 2. Attach two new halyards to bottom of current Spinnaker Halyard (SH). 3. Go to top of mast (bosun's chair / main halyard + spinnaker halyard as safety backup) 4. Pull on the old SH and get both lines to the top. 5. Remove both forward sheaves. 6. Separate the new halyards and reinstall sheaves. This will be a pain in the rear... 7. Repair / make safe the rigging at the top so we don't have to do this again. 8. Fish bottom of lines through the block we removed and reinstall. 9. Enjoy a frosty cold beverage. What do you fellas think? And your thoughts of what went wrong? We've had this boat for 6 years, it's not like we've been shredding halyards all this time. Thankfully. :) My #1 concern is the furler. I could swear I see the fitting that connects the top of the furling pole to the masthead looking twisted .. and I don't think it's supposed to look twisted. But I might be wrong! The furler spun fairly freely by hand at dock. Appreciate the ideas in advance, David
