First Time Out this weekend on a Getaway , some questions

Anyone able to assist with the following questions

How tight should the shrouds be that run down either side ? How much "play" should there be when just sitting on the trailer ?

Same question for the jib forestay I think

Say you point your boat into the wind, on a trailer, to raise the main - what's the procedure now if you have to turn it into the wind to be able to launch it ?

Think thats it for now..

Thanks for any advice you can give !

Shroud and forestay tensions are linked to one another. Generally, the rig should be “snug” with the boat sitting on land. That is a little difficult to quantify, but essentially the shrouds should be under enough tension to be straight, with no visible bends or looseness when sighting up the mast. If you press on the shroud three or four feet up, it will be able to be pushed maybe 6-8 inches in any direction, but not loose or flopping around.

Note that when sailing, the leeward shroud will always loosen up. This is normal. It happens because when the sail is loaded, the mast bends and the distance between the mast tang and the mast base shortens.

Your second question is not totally clear, but generally, if you can avoid it, you should not raise the sails with the boat on the trailer. Pull the boat off and put it on the beach, close to the water. Then turn it into the wind and raise the sails. If you have to move the boat around with the sails up, then you need to be constantly aware of the wind direction. The mainsheet needs to be kept loose or disconnected. Even in that case, if you turn the boat more than about 45 degrees from head to wind, the sails willstart to power up and you could run into trouble. If that is the case, the best approach is to lower the sails, move the boat, and then re-hoist.

sm

Thanks for the response and yes I worded the whole post very poorly , was excited when we got back in and typed it out fast lol

Ok thanks - I'm going to rig it again and get a feel for them while its stationary - I'm not 100% - but isn't there adjustments for the Shroud , just like the forestay ?

For my setup and launch - because the launch is so tight - I think i'll take the boat off the trailer, put it towards the wind - then push off once ready (even if that means I'm pushing off backwards - does this make sense or is it dumb?) - couple paddles into the wind before turning the rutters and powering up the sail

My launch is like a small V and i'm right at the bottom of the V and I've got very little area out front to set up (have to keep away from power lines)

I'm hoping to get out again this weekend - and I"m also hoping the forecast gets a little better .... !!

Correct, the shrouds and the forestay can both be adjusted by moving the cable up or down in their adjusters and reinstalling the clevis pin. I took your question to be more about the tension on the rig. The rig tension is affected by the adjustment of both the forestay and the shrouds together.

Your launch approach sounds ok. If the wind is blowing away from your launch (offshore), then you can push off with the bows into the wind and rudders all the way up and the boat will drift away from the beach slowly. Once you have enough depth under the boat and some distance from shore, you can put the rudders down, backwind the jib, and get the boat spun around so it’s sailing forwards.

sm