Spar Catcher for a Standing Lug by Jerry Barnett - Page 2 of 2
In the following section, I provide my recommendations on how to make your own spar catcher.
In the last section, I comment on the semi-automatic balance reef that Conor O’Brien recommends to single-handers in Sea Boats, Oars and Sails and that was the starting point for my consideration of all this. His intended use encompasses the spar catcher but is far more involved than what I have reported here. The rigging elements are the same (although I do not use the parrel finding it an unnecessary complication).
I. Materials and Process
- 1/8” Dyneema 12 strand cord (red preferred), the length of the distance between the peak of the spar to the bottom of the chocks (78” for my Mk1 Dabber) plus about 18” to make the jackstay. Dyneema, a modern superstrong material, slippery and non-abrasive, is ideal for this application.
- One small, but sturdy block, and a D shackle. Attach the block to the mast ring facing aft on the centerline or to the port ear of the mast band.
- One halyard, as long as your mainsail halyard (probably to be shortened later). Reeve the halyard. I belay this on the port belaying pin.
- One teardrop thimble, plastic preferred, to the size of the halyard.
- The jackstay line is rove through the hole used to lash the sail to the peak, and secures on the forward side of the spar (the side without the sail) with a buntline hitch. I had to enlarge the hole just a little to get the jackstay and the lashing both through.
- Next, reeve the jackstay through the thimble and then securely tie the jackstay around the chocks. The jackstay should have about a 9” lift at midpoint. Again, I use a buntline hitch.
Use a two loop scaffold knot
to turn the thimble you attached to the jackstay into a hard eye on the second
halyard. By doing this rather than permanently fastening the thimble, I can
(with difficulty) release the thimble and use the halyard as a backup. Instead
of using a thimble, you could just as well use a bow or snap shackle to attach
the jackstay. - Haul up the spar on the second halyard to the masthead. That puts the heel of the spar at the height of the tack of the whole sail.
- Make a taut loop of 1/4” bungee cord around the mast using a large stopper ball. I use this to corral the heel of the spar. I simply pull on the stopper and lift the loop over the heel of the spar to restrain it. You may find this last item unnecessary.
II. Conor O’Brien’s Semi-Automatic Balance Reef
Now, please read O’Brien on his use of a reefing halyard to create what he calls a semi-automatic balance reef (Figure 2).
I commend to single-handers the semi-automatic balance reef which I have tried. A balance reef is tied up along a diagonal line slanting downwards from the nock of the sail, where it is bent to the heel of the yard, generally to the close-reef cringle on the leach. The yard is hung up and down the mast, and the diagonal line becomes the foot of a triangular sail. It is made the same length as the foot of the unreefed sail, so that the reef cringle comes in the same place as the clew did, but of course the sheet has to be shifted to the cringle to set the sail properly, as the sail now comes 2 or 3 feet too far aft. However, in an emergency one could carry on without shifting the sheet or tying the points, because nearly half the sail would be down in the boat, where it could hardly capsize her. To make the device work almost automatically two extra items of gear are wanted: an upper halyard spliced to a thimble which slides down a wire jackstay stretched from the slings, the point where the main halyard is bent on, to the peak of the yard. It is belayed at such a length that when the peak is hanging from it and the main halyard has been let go the heel of the yard is at the level of the tack of the whole sail. At this point there must be a block through which a heel-rope on the yard is rove to hold it in to the mast. Merely letting go the main halyard and hauling in the heel-rope should make it safe for the helmsman to leave the ship to look after herself while he reefs her properly.
Two comments.
T
his makes a lot of sense. It may not be mechanically right for a Dabber…the
jackstay or heel-rope could pull out. But that is a problem that could easily
be solved; you could strengthen the spar where the jackstay and the heel-rope
are attached.
I wouldn’t use the nock-to-block heel rope that O’Brien describes
unless I was going the trysail route. For my purposes, the heel-rope is unnecessary
and the simple loop and pull described in item 9 are enough.
Last thoughts.
Sea Boats, Oars and Sails* is a tremendous book, full of interesting observations and good advice.
Particularly, O’Brien declaims and implores: “The simplicity of its gear is the great virtue of the lug rig; let us by all means keep it simple.” I couldn’t agree more.
So far, I have found that the spar catcher has the virtue of simplicity. It is easily rigged and can be permanently rigged. Once in place, it is passively engaged…no string to pull or knot to tie. It is automatic. While not a perfect thing, it works remarkably well.
Finally, I think the use of a spar catcher makes the standing lug a safer boat because it simplifies the dropping of the mainsail, recovery of the sail and spar, and furling.
With the spar catcher in place, dropping the main can be accomplished by pulling the belaying pin holding the main halyard….the original quick release cleat...safe, quick and effective. Then, with the spar under control and in place, gathering the sail presents no problem.
To my mind, this is obviously better than the complications of having the mainsail in the cockpit.
Jerry Barnett
New York City
Dabber SUSAN
Driver PROVIDENCE
______________________
*Sea Boats, Oars
and Sails is available in reprint from D.N.Goodchild
(Philadelphia, PA), a reprint publishing house specializing
in classic nautical books and publications. Conor O’Brien quotes and
drawings with permission of D.N. Goodchild.
Antoine Maartens writes from the Netherlands:
Parts of the Connor O'Brien book can be found on-line at:
http://www.friend.ly.net/~dadadata/boat/cob/COB_sea-boat.html
We
used this source in our quest to tame the lug of our Gig "The City
of London".