Unknown rigging

[MartinAdelaide]

I have an 1979 Austral 20 trailer sailer. There's an extra wire on my forestay and no-one at my club, with much more experience than me, can work out what's it's for. It attaches just up from the fitting and is only about 12 inches. No idea why it's there an it will interfere when I fit a roller furler. Any ideas?

[Time2Go]

Most likely used as an attachment point for a
Come-along pulley system for raising the mast.
Think pick up truck with electric cable winch.
Cheers
Neil

[Spot]

Originally Posted by Time2Go

Most likely used as an attachment point for a
Come-along pulley system for raising the mast.
Think pick up truck with electric cable winch.
Cheers
Neil

+1


We use the 4:1 mainsheet tackle to raise and lower ours, works a treat.
Our mast has a gin pole that is permanently attached and there are two baby stays to keep the mast straight until the shrounds take over.
Ours does not have a backstay.

Forestay clips to gin pole, gin pole to mainsheet, mainsheet to trailer.
We use a Catalina 22 style crutch from the $tingy Sailor website.

We do not have this extra cable or a quick release so the last couple inches are a bit of work to get the forestay and pin into the correct hole on the bow fitting. With two people it goes pretty good, one on the ground with the mainsheet and one on the boat at the bow. We trailer ours to and fro to different lakes so the mast is raised and lowered more often.

MartinA, what sort of furler(s) are you considering?

[MartinAdelaide]

Originally Posted by Time2Go

Most likely used as an attachment point for a
Come-along pulley system for raising the mast.
Think pick up truck with electric cable winch.
Cheers
Neil

That seems to make sense. I also have an 18'er and just pull the mast up. Funny that people with many other boats don't know this though.