Hi folks, see attached pic. I'm new to sailing and have small 28 foot yacht and raised the mail sail today for the first time in light breeze but it kept hitting this sail bag rigging and would not get full with the breeze. I'm assuming I need to drop this sail bag rigging each time into the bag itself so the main sail can extend and fill with the breeze. Is this correct? Pardon my ignorance, I'm learning.

Reddog64

Thanks Don, I understand some of that. In the picture do those ropes/sheets connected to the sail bag stay up like that or do I loosen them off both sides and drop them? It seems like they are getting in the way.

Thanks

Thanks Toph, I'm a cruiser so I will leave them.

Reddog64 said..
Hi folks, see attached pic. I'm new to sailing and have small 28 foot yacht and raised the mail sail today for the first time in light breeze but it kept hitting this sail bag rigging and would not get full with the breeze. I'm assuming I need to drop this sail bag rigging each time into the bag itself so the main sail can extend and fill with the breeze. Is this correct? Pardon my ignorance, I'm learning.

Reddog64

Is the sail catching the bag rigging as you try to hoist the sail?

Hi Red

Just to clarify a bit. The ladyjacks are there to keep the mainsail tidy when its down but also when you put a reef in, they stop the loose part of the main from flapping around. They also come in handy if you forget to tighten the topping lift before reefing as they take the weight of the boom. Although they are not intended for this task it sort of works.
Like the others said, unless you are racing I'd just leave them as they are while sailing.

woko said..
If the lazy jacks are messin with your sail shape let them of a bit ,

Yep let them out so they are loose against the sail.

I have actually brought them back to the end of the boom so I don't have to go forward to the mast to loosen/tighten them.

By the way you seem to be missing a topping lift which will not be helping.
That's a halyard that goes from the mast head to the end of your boom, usually sheeted off at the mast base or brought back to the cockpit.

Ask again if you don't understand

Ease off the lazyjacks when sailing. Even when reefing they can be left off. Before dropping the main haul in the topping lift and the lazyjacks and it's better to drop the sail when pointing into the wind.
Check out my video from some time ago on my 30 footer.

Hi Reddog.
When I installed Lazyjacks on my boat I put the blocks out on the spreaders and not on the mast. This gives a
much wider gap between the lines and allows the sail to fill without interference. So if you get the chance have
them altered......or just slacken them off a bit.

I have the lazy-jack tensioning line led back to the cockpit. This allows me to loosen them for raising/dropping the main without snagging the battens. Of course I still have to make sure the main is pointing straight into the wind and that the whole sail is luffing for raising/dropping.
Also, with some judicious jigglng of the lazy-jack line and the halyard I can often get the whole main to drop straight into the bag. I'm also experimenting with a downhaul led to the cockpit, which can be good but leaves you with a couple of light years of extra line to tuck away somewhere when the main is down! My goal is to reduce trips up to the mast to a minimum to suit my usual solo status, especially when I'm out there where the big kids play.

Cheers, Graeme

Red, re your lazy jacks - theres another option, that is take them off permanently. Every boat I had I took them off if it had them. I have a dislike of extra complications on deck and like to keep things as simple as possible to avoid tangles and mess especially as a prep for possible emergency situations. I think doing a lot of racing in the past taught me that. ie. if its an emergency situation and a line can get tangled and knotted on something it will :-)

Taking them off has the disadvantage it then takes two people to fold the main up neatly on top of the boom although it can be done single handed but is more tricky.

The guy is a newbie for chrissakes, his head must be spinning from the stuff you guys dishing out for him.
Mine does.
Trek is the only sensible one here.
Concentrate on sailing stuff not storage items.
Learn how to handle your main on your own. It's not a 60 footer, only, like mine, a 28.
It's girly stuff anyway, cut the suckers off.

each to their own, but I probably would not be suggesting to a relative newb to just cut his sailbag off.

Sure maybe take it down, tie the lazy jacks aside, then try dropping the main by yourself a few times.
Enjoy flaking a sail singlehanded when you're probably tiller steering, and then perhaps grab some shock cord sail ties like whitworths think everyone uses. Do this a few times and I'm sure he'll see the value in a sailbag and how it makes life safer and simpler for a single or short hander.

Its a pity the reddogs OP doesn't clearly show how high his sailbag is, re- reading his actual post, I think there might be more of an issue about how much he sees importance in the area possibly being shrouded by the bag. Its more of a setup issue, and possibly not s debate as to its worth.

As I said, each to their own. I have a 12 m mast, and fully battened main.
Life without a sailbag would be much more effort.

We all have different boats, part of the fun of a forum is picking the answer you like.

Yeah, crusty's sobering comment is right, however l passionately dislike spiderwebs on my mast or anywhere else, even if it would save some work. Small boat, little work never harmed anyone. Reddog needs that lazyjack like a hump on his back.
If l would want to spend my life in the cockpit l would not be a sailor.
May be an armchair sailor.
I dislike dodgers despite their obvious convenience and l dislike cars as well. I would not have any of them.
Yep, it's personal.