Halyards

[Nibor]

Hello. Just a little back story. I bought a 30 foot Alberg in the fall. I have not been able to sail it much due to working way too much and don't even get me started on the weather of late here on Vancouver Island. To the question. I had a new sacrificial strip but on the sail in the winter and as we had a sunny day last weekend I , and everyone else , ran down to our boats and bent on the sails. However after I was done I noticed I may have used the spinnaker
halyard instead of the foresail halyard. Now , I am going to switch it next chance I get and before sailing again. Can anyone tell me if I had not noticed it what would have happened if anything? I have never sailed a boat with a spinnaker before. Thank you in advance for your replies.

[Suijin]

Probably nothing if you don’t have a roller furled jib. Spin halyards usually exit the mast above and/or outboard of the forestay. So you might have had some potential for chafe but unlikely in one outing.

If you have a roller furler and use the spin halyard you risk a halyard wrap which could jam the top fitting of the furler. You’d have to go up the stick to fix it if it were bad.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Nibor.

[John_Trusty]

+1 to Suijin's comment - it all depends on the height of the spinnaker sheeve vs. the designed height of the foresail sheeve. If similar, perhaps no big deal. My spin halyard is mounted on a separately mounted block, which extends that top turning point above and forward of the top of the roller-furler. That allows the halyard to always be forward and away from the genoa, avoiding wraps.

BTW: if this is a new-to-you boat, perhaps it's time to start a cyclical replacement of all of your critical lines, like sheets and halyards. Lines are a disposable supply and cost a few hundred each, so replacing one or two each season is a good safety and budgeting practice. If someone has to go up your mast, their life may depend on that block and halyard.

[Nibor]

Thank you for your reply’s. I am going to take it down again and switch it out. The way I realized it may be the spinnaker halyard was when I went coil it up and stow the excess it looked brand new. The right halyard had been up for years and was covered in green growth. LOL. I am going to change it out first then the anchor rode then the main.

[Jim Cate]

If your spinny halyard is well above t he forestay as is normal, there is a good chance that you already have a halyard wrap. the geometry is perfect for this to happen! Have a good look with binoculars before unfurling the sail, and if it is wrapped, be very careful as you unfurl, being sure that nothing fouls up there. It can be an expensive lesson, and no, I'd rather not talk about it!

Jim

[Nibor]

Oh Boy! I Pull the sail up and furled it. That is all so far. If it did wrap then when I unfurl it I hope it unwraps. I have never had either a furler or a spinnaker before so it is all new to me. Thank you for your reply.

[charliehows]

yeah, better take a good look at it - my furler has its halyard run down from a block within the furler - pulling the sail up with the wrong halyard will guarantee a wrap and very likely serious damage at the first rollout.

[Nibor]

I took a picture and tried to upload it I hope it works the two shives are side-by-side and they look identical to me. I think I’m OK

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Nibor

I took a picture and tried to upload it I hope it works the two shives are side-by-side and they look identical to me. I think I’m OK

Yep, that looks OK, and there is no sign of a spinnaker halyard to be seen.

Jim

[DougR]

Looks like you have two jib halyards, and you have used one of them. There is no wrap, and there is no spinnaker halyard.

Typically a spinnaker halyard block would be connected to the flat plate on the top of the masthead fabrication( you can see the mounting holes), so the halyard would be forward and above the forestay and furler.

DougR

[Nibor]

Well that's a relief. I went down and switched it. At least I know more about the boat now. I have never worked with a spinnaker as I almost always sail alone and they seem like a lot of work not to mention expense. Anyway , thank you for the time and info.