tonystott wrote:
I believe that the intention of the instructions is that you partially furl (or "reef") the sail until the tallest batten is under the mast topper, therefore out of the way of the backstay. The sail can then be unfurled on the other tack or jibe.
Sounds to me like the instructions apply not only while the reacher is deployed... but all the time that the reacher is installed on the boat - whether snuffed or deployed.
That being the case, every tack and every gybe should be preceeded by a pull on the reefing line and followed by releasing the reefing line.
Maybe a little shot of spray paint to make a reference point on the reefing line where the main is reefed enough to clear the reacher's halyard.
That being the case, the entanglement of reacher halyard around the #1 batten end becomes an even bigger issue just by virtue of frequency of exposure.
FWIW, so far my 21" 1/2" PVC sleeves hanging fore-and-aft from the mast topper have permitted graceful recovery from halyard entanglement. .... They have not completely prevented it... but, so far, they have made the situation recoverable by un-reefing the main.
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Pre-September 2015 cradles
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