speaking of sails

[sauerleigh]

The PO of REDUX replaced all the sails in 09, good deal for me. He bought a fully battened main which I had never had any experience with, better performance I guess. The one thing I do not like about the sail (Rolly Tasker) is the plastic reinforcing pockets installed on the luff. The boat was set up to be single handed but raising and lowering the main from the cockpit does not always work. The pockets are installed close enough to the sail cars that they jam against the mast, particularly when trying to lower the main. The weight of the batten pulls the sail down at the leech before the luff has a chance to catch up, I still need to go to the mast to pull the sail down completely.

[EmergencyExit]

I didn't do this on EE, but found it handy on the Cal21 whose articulated slugs tend to bind like that in the track. I added a downhaul line which is tied at the tack then laced thru the slugs, and ran to a turning block and back to the cockpit. Good hard tug and down she comes. I liked it so much I did the same for the jib as the foredeck on that little thing is really small and I hate going up there.