In my previous post, I presented a hand-drawn illustration of my preferred method of setting up a yard parrel (in this case a Snotter).
The drawing shows the parrel/snotter (drawn in red) simply slipped over the mast and the halyard, but in the text I mentioned that the parrel can be attached to the rolling hitch which secures the halyard to the yard. For the entire time - at least three decades - that I've been using this parrel system, I've always secured the parrel to the halyard or the yard, but when I was preparing the drawing, it occurred to me that it may work simply slipped over the mast and the halyard.
Well, just two days ago I did a rigging job for a man who had built a beautiful Paul Gartside-designed lapstrake (clinker) dinghy. In the process I tried out the method as depicted in the above drawing, and although it worked, the parrel had a tendency to hang-up on the mast due to friction between itself, the mast, and the halyard. I quickly re-rigged it so that it ran under the rolling hitch, and everything was fine.
So lightly attach the snotter to the yard or the halyard where it is secured to the yard. That way, the parrel/snotter will lower positively with the yard.
Ross,
ReplyDeleteNow that I have read your entire blog from beginning to end I fell able to comment.
I sailed a 27' Canadian Navy whaler for several years, it had a standing lug sail which was held to the mast by a ring around the mast and a hook,attached to the ring, to which the halyard was attached, the yard was then slipped over hook using a strop. The advantages were that the yard could be speedily dettached, is that a word, when dropping the main and just as speedily attached when erecting the rig again.
I have used the same system on a small sail boat using a slice of PVC pipe for the ring and a climbing carabiner for the hook. The climbing gear does not have the word marine attached and thus is very much cheaper. In any event it worked very well.