Sheet shackes?

[Jack Long]

Currently I have sheets in every sailbag attached to the sails with bowlines. I was thinking of running sheets with shackles on them that I would just clip onto whatever sail I was putting up.

Any thoughts?

[AnchorageGuy]

Jack, That is great and easy until you are on the foredeck and they are flogging around and smack you upside your head.

[Jack Long]

That would be true for the clip on the end of the halyard too though right? Or do you mean while still on the sail? If so, there is already a metal ring on most of the sails... You might be right- but currently a sail change is at least two trips up to the bow. I would compare the whomp in the head risk vs. the bounce-bounce-bloop risk.

[Joli]

They're dangerous, they scar the mast, and they lazy one tends to pop off after you break the sheet, then the sail has no sheet attached.

Plus bowlines are cheap.

[Pblais]

Shackle in the head and you're dead.

A flogging clew is nothing to mess with. With bigger boats it gets more obvious. When the winds are up near gale strength you can't hold a clew on most any boat. When it gets away from you it may be going right for your head.

A shackle at the head of the sail is not going any place and it's a common thing. You can't let go of the halyard shackle or it's gone and you won't get it back in a blow. It's tethered from the mast head and would be well away from your reach or body. A clew could easily thrash across the deck.

If you can change out a sail the bowline on the clew is no big deal. You should be able to tie it one handed. Going to the foredeck and lowering and getting another sail out with the clew already rigged is easier than snapping a shackle off and on. It's not the hard part of a dangerous job. Bending the sail off and on is the real chore.

[maxingout]

The clew of our genoa has a massive grommet that could be lethal when flogging in the wind.

We once sent a heavy snatch block into orbit when a flogging headsail detached the snatch block's shackle at it's point of attachment on the boat. One second the snatch block was there, and the next second it was gone. It's velocity was so great that we couldn't even follow it when it took off. It's velocity must have been in excess of 100 mph. If that would have hit someone, it easily could have killed them.

That's the reason we have a bicycle helmet on board Exit Only. If things get out of control, we can at least put on the helmet and have a chance if we get hit in the head with a clew, a shackle, or a flying block.

[S/V Antares]

A grommit with a few bowlines attached will not hurt near as much as a shackle. There is a reason it is not common practice.

[Jack Long]

I will think on all this.

What I was hoping to avoid is the running of the sheets back to and through the pulleys...

[AnchorageGuy]

Originally Posted by Jack Long

I will think on all this.

What I was hoping to avoid is the running of the sheets back to and through the pulleys...

Not sure why you would have to do that if just changing the sheets on the sail. Untie the sheets and re-tie them. BTW, no pulleys on our boat.

[clausont]

Originally Posted by maxingout

That's the reason we have a bicycle helmet on board Exit Only.

That's a great idea. I will add that to our list of on board equipment.

[maxingout]

Clausont

I'm glad to see that you are sailing with your five kids. My kids loved cruising on board Exit Only, and now they want to get their own sailboats and cruise on their own.

The years we spent cruising with our kids were some of the best years of our life. Our kids are still our best friends, and the positive lessons they learned at sea will last a lifetime.

[David M]

I prefer a Larks Head or whats called a Cow Hitch. It cant shake loose and it has minimal chance of snagging compared to a bowline. It has less mass than a flogging bowline as well.

[Jack Long]

I think you suggested this one when I was asking about the snagging issues I was having. I am sold on the idea for that problem but haven't tracked down new line to try it with. In the context of swapping sails though it would require unstringing/restringing one side of the boat...

[delmarrey]

One more comment.

You will not want shackles dragging/catching your shrouds let alone what they will do to your mast, deck and hatches. A shroud under extreme tension getting hit by a metal object could be disastrous.

The clew in the sail maybe metal but at least it's surrounded by cloth, and leather for some manufactures........................._/)

[Weyalan]

If your clew is flogging around at head height you are probably doing something wrong. I like Tylaska J-locks for headsail sheets.