I usually take down my
spinnaker halyard when I leave the
boat for extended periods of time, or in the event of an expected gale. I use a thin “traveler” line that I bought in case I ever broke or “lost” a
halyard and had to replace it at sea. I have never had to do the latter but I often exchange the “thick”
spinnaker halyard for the thin and light traveler. I tie a rolling hitch with the thin line around the “thick” halyard and then wrap the loose end of the light line to the thick halyard with a couple of turns of
electrical insulating tape. I also wrap the loose end of the “thick” halyard to the thin line with a couple of turns of
electrical tape. Then I just pull on the other end of the halyard and feed the thin line through the halyard blocks. I have never had this either jam or the lines separate. Reinstallation of the halyard is the reverse procedure. My traveler line is something like 3mm Vectran with a 1900 lb. breaking strain but most any thin line would do. BTW if you ever lose a halyard, the recovery procedure is to climb the
mast somehow – (hope you have another halyard!) – and then drop the thin traveler line down the
mast with a small socket or
fishing weight tied on the end.