Extra Cringle - Cunningham?

[OffSeason]

Hi,

The Mains'l on my Contessa 26' has a second tack cringle about 8-10 inches above the main tack cringle. Is this for tying in a cunningham?

Any input appreciated!

Thanks,

All the best,

Mike

[Jim D]

It sure looks like it. I wouldn't rig it so the line actually tied in there; but would go through that grommet so that you end up with a 2:1 purchase for the downhaul adjustment.

[Charlie]

There are a few different ways to rig a smart pig ( a cunning ham LOL). One is to tie a line to the tack horn and then up thru the cunningham and down to a cleat. Another is to get an appropirate block and tackle and run a hook to the cunningham cringle .

[delmarrey]

Does that sail have a shelf in the foot????

If so, the would be the main tack for closehaul or reaches. For down wind one would detach and allow the shelf to fill. In these pictures I pulled the boom in to get pictures of the shelf.

By hooking the reef hook on that cringle and tightening the outhaul it flattens the sail.

[daddle]

It's mostly a race rule thing. The sail must fit inside the measurement points on the mast. But the designer wants it as big as possible for light wind work. If it was then hoisted higher, or the boom lowered, to tighten the luff it would break the measurement rule. So a racer will pull down on that cringle. Tightening the luff without making the sail bigger. A cruising oriented sail may not have such a thing.

Same kind of thing on some leeches. They want the leech long in light winds but the boom gets too low when hardened up...or touches the water on a reach, called a flattener or water-reef in those cases.

[Marksman]

Not to hijack the thread, but as long as we're talking about extra cringles.... I have a cringle about halfway along the foot of my genoa, any ideas what that's for, barber hauler perhaps?

Thanks

[daddle]

Originally Posted by Marksman

Not to hijack the thread, but as long as we're talking about extra cringles.... I have a cringle about halfway along the foot of my genoa, any ideas what that's for, barber hauler perhaps?

Thanks

There are some odd dousing systems that might use that cringle. Mostly to keep the sail on the deck when shorthanded.

[Marksman]

Hmm... I don't know, the jib was made for and added at the same time as the roller furling by the PO. I have looked all over the net trying to find a reference but no luck. Thanks for your reply.

[Charlie]

Originally Posted by Marksman

Not to hijack the thread, but as long as we're talking about extra cringles.... I have a cringle about halfway along the foot of my genoa, any ideas what that's for, barber hauler perhaps?

Thanks

My guess it is a tacking cringle. (That is probably not the correct name) At one time race boats used to attach a line tot he genoa at that cringle and then run it forward to the bow, thru a block, and back to towards the mast area. a crew member would then be in charge of pulling that line everytime that the boat was tacked. The effect would be to pull the middle of the sail towards the bow and helping the sail around the shrouds. They had fallen out of use by the time I started racing in the early 1980's. Seems to me it might be good for a cutter rigged boat.

[Charlie]

Originally Posted by Marksman

Not to hijack the thread, but as long as we're talking about extra cringles.... I have a cringle about halfway along the foot of my genoa, any ideas what that's for, barber hauler perhaps?

Thanks

My guess it is a tacking cringle. (That is probably not the correct name) At one time race boats used to attach a line tot he genoa at that cringle and then run it forward to the bow, thru a block, and back to towards the mast area. a crew member would then be in charge of pulling that line everytime that the boat was tacked. The effect would be to pull the middle of the sail towards the bow and helping the sail around the shrouds. They had fallen out of use by the time I started racing in the early 1980's. Seems to me it might be good for a cutter rigged boat.

[FSMike]

Buddy of mine used to have a 42' ketch with a 200% hank on genoa. Really. It had what we called a tacking point in the middle of the foot. It was used as suggested, to haul half the sail forward so as to clear the baby stay & mast when tacking. That sail was a handful even with the tacking point.
Don't know why there would be one on a roller furling sail.

[Marksman]

I think you nailed it guys. Ole Maelstrom was a racer and the mast is somewhat forward makeing the 150 geny a little difficult to tack. I'll have to try that next time we're out. Or if that proves to be too big a hasle I'll just put bigger rollers on the forward shrouds.

Thanks guys!